Can Pangkas Import Oil, Pertamina Plans To Mix Gasoline With Methanol

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Nicke Widyawati revealed that her party plans to mix gasoline with methanol from sugar cane, coal and gas. Nicke said, with this mixing, his party estimates that it can cut oil imports from abroad.

"We will start this gasoline program mixed with methanol. Methanol can be from coal, it can be from natural gas. Both of them we have a lot of corn and sugar cane," he said at the National Energy, Climate, Sustainability Competition (NECSC) 2023 event quoted by Senn on February 13.

Nicke added that for the initial stage, his party plans to mix fuel with methanol as much as 20 percent and is expected to cut imports of fuel by 20 percent.

In addition, Nicke added that Pertamina had previously succeeded in suppressing diesel fuel imports because it had developed a biosolar program by mixing it with XPOs from palm oil.

"Starting in 2019, Indonesia will no longer import diesel because at that time in 2019 30 percent of its diesel needs had been replaced with CPO. We are now adding 5 percent to 35 percent. What we are still importing is gasoline," he explained.

He further said that this program was carried out by targeting Indonesia's energy independence and would continue to be improved over time.

In addition, continued Nicke, all Pertamina will also increase the potential of natural resources such as geothermal which makes Indonesia the country with the largest geothermal potential in the world.

"We must be the same in the Pertamina Group first, that we must make our best efforts in realizing energy security and energy independence based on existing resources in Indonesia.