Palm Oil Potentially Becomes Environmentally Friendly Aircraft Fuel

Palm oil (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The potential for palm oil as fuel for environmentally friendly aircraft (sustainable aviation fuel) is a sustainable growth.

This was revealed by the Chairman of Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food Franky Oesman Widjaja quoting Antara.

"With this environmentally friendly aviation fuel, we hope that our sky can become blue again," Franky said.Franky explained that the palm oil commodity is one of Indonesia's largest natural resources capable of providing livelihoods for more than 17 million people, most of which are located in rural remote areas. In addition, palm oil is also the main contributor to Indonesia's exports which in 2022 is recorded to be worth around US$40 billion. This achievement comes from the characteristics of palm oil as the most productive vegetable oil that is able to produce five to 10 times more per hectare of plantation, compared to other existing vegetable oils.Franky added, with only 8 percent of the total land used to produce vegetable oil, it can supply at least 40 percent of the world's vegetable oil needs today.'' It means that palm oil plays a role as Indonesia's biosolution potential which can also be an answer to the world's need for low-carbon fuels," he added. Indonesia, Franky continued, has decarbonized its economy through the B35 program, which is the largest vegetable fuel mixing policy in the world with a target of channeling up to 13.15 million biodiesel kiloliters this year. On the same occasion, President Airbus Asia-Pacific Anand Stanley said the airline had committed to reducing fuel consumption by 80 percent over the past 50 years. We are also committed to suppressing carbon footprint not only from fuel burning in the air but also including the entire fuel cycle starting from its production," he said. Anand said that the challenges facing Airbus and other airlines currently in realizing environmentally friendly aviation are still very minimal supply of environmentally friendly aviation fuel.

"In 2030, we hope that all flights can use 100 percent of environmentally friendly fuels," he said. To achieve this goal, Airbus hopes to cooperate with many stakeholders, especially in Asia-Pacific to continue to innovate in developing environmentally friendly aviation fuels and regulate so that production capacity can meet needs. Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati said a holistic approach that includes the government, the private sector, investors and the community to achieve the fulfillment of low-carbon fuels. "We must not give up even though there is a high price to create low-carbon fuels. With the development of technology, ecosystems, regulation and community readiness, we can at least reduce this challenge in the next 10 years," he said.