Bahlil Targets Diesel Imports to Be Halted Next Year

KatadataOTO – Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), will stop diesel imports in the second half of 2026. This policy is being implemented because the government plans to implement Biodiesel B50.

The policy will cause the need for diesel imports, which have been necessary until now, to decrease drastically from the usual levels.

“Once B50 biodiesel is implemented, it is hoped that we will no longer import diesel in 2026,” said Bahlil, as reported by Antara (09/10).

Moreover, he revealed that the government is currently conducting road tests for B50 biodiesel. The testing has entered its final stage and is being used in several vehicles, including cars and ships.

Photo : Katadata

“Once the testing is complete, it will be decided that we will use B50,” Bahlil later said.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Roadmap, the mandatory B50 program could be implemented in the second half of 2026. This is because the trials require up to 8 months.

It should be noted that B50 biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from a mixture of 50 percent CPO (crude palm oil) and 50 percent conventional (fossil) diesel. Therefore, a stable supply of CPO is needed to realize the B50 mandate.

To meet the demand, three steps can be taken. Starting from land intensification, land clearing, to reducing CPO exports.

Meanwhile, Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, is scheduling a National Working Meeting of the Steering Committee with the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP). This is because the implementation of B50 requires a supply of crude palm oil (CPO).

Photo : Pertamina

The need for FAME or Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, obtained from crude palm oil for B50, is 19 million KL. Meanwhile, the availability of FAME in 2025 is around 15.6 million KL.

Currently, Indonesia has implemented the mandatory B40. As of September, the implementation of B40 has reached 10 million kiloliters, or 64.7 percent of the 15.6 million KL target.

In addition, the implementation of B40 has also saved the country's foreign exchange by around 9.3 billion US dollars, or equivalent to Rp 147.5 trillion.