Seputarkarawang.com - Karawang, The government targets that the use of bioethanol as a mixture of up to 20 percent gasoline or mandatory E20 fuel oil (BBM) can be fully realized by 2028. This strategic step was taken to reduce the country's dependence on fuel imports in order to achieve national energy security. The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, revealed that domestic consumption of gasoline has currently reached 39 to 40 million kiloliters. Of this amount, around 50 percent or 20 million kiloliters of national gasoline still needs to be met through imports from abroad.Bahlil is optimistic that Indonesia will be able to implement mandatory 20% ethanol because the availability of raw materials in the country is very abundant. Hasil kunjungan kerjanya ke Brasil menunjukkan bahwa bahan baku seperti singkong, jagung, dan tebu sangat berpotensi untuk dikembangkan sebagai sumber energi alternatif."Kalau kita mandatori 20 persen, berarti kita kurangi impor bensin 8 juta kiloliter," ujar Bahlil dalam keterangan tertulis yang diterima, Minggu (3/5/2026). He emphasized that the mandatory E20 is part of the government's long-term strategy to create energy independence.
This effort reflects the government's success in stopping diesel imports this year. This success was supported by the mandatory biodiesel policy which was implemented gradually over almost a decade by mixing diesel and palm oil until it reached 40 percent. In fact, the government plans to increase the portion of the biodiesel blend to 50 percent next July. With this scheme, the need for diesel which was previously met from abroad can now be completely replaced by domestically produced palm-based products.Apart from the problem of petrol and diesel, a big challenge also comes from the household sector regarding imports of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which reached 7.47 million metric tons per year. To reduce the subsidy burden which costs up to IDR 87 trillion per year, the government has begun to encourage the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).Meanwhile, to ensure the security of the national crude oil supply, the government has diversified supply routes. Sources of crude oil imports are now spread to various regions such as Africa, the United States and Russia, reducing dependence on the Middle East region which passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
