Indonesia is set to officially begin implementing the B50 program on July 1st, which raises the share of palm oil-based biodiesel in the mandatory blend with fossil diesel to 50%. This was confirmed on Thursday (18) by Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia. According to the minister, tests conducted by the government showed positive results, allowing the program to proceed as scheduled. “The Ministry of Energy team conducted tests and the results are encouraging. The implementation of B50 will begin on July 1st, 2026,” Lahadalia told reporters. The measure represents another step by Indonesia in expanding the use of biofuels and reducing its dependence on imported fuels. In MayThe government had already signaled its intention to increase the mandatory biodiesel blend and also to introduce E5 gasoline, containing 5% ethanol. According to the minister, the adoption of B50 will allow the country to significantly reduce diesel imports. "Thus, we will reduce or even stop diesel imports, especially diesel with a cetane number of 48," he emphasized. The current mandate foresees the use of the B40 blend during the first half of the year and the transition to B50 between July and December 2026. According to estimates from the Ministry of Energy, the program should generate savings of approximately 157.28 trillion rupees (US$ 8.89 billion) in fuel import costs this year. This value exceeds the projected savings of 139.8 trillion rupees if the country maintained B40 throughout the entire period.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.