Indonesian Government to go Ahead with Locomotive Biodiesel Plans

The government will decide whether to resume the 20 percent biodiesel blend (B20) policy for the locomotive sector by the end of June, when it expects to complete a fuel performance test in Sumatra, according to a news report in The Jakarta Post on March 05. Since January, the government has been testing the performance of locomotives manufactured by two American companies, General Electric (GE) and Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), running on 20 percent-blended biodiesel on the Tarahan-Tanjung Enim railway from Lampung to South Sumatra.
   
While awaiting the results of the locomotive performance test, the government will restart the biodiesel blend program in the locomotive sector,  but a lower concentration of only 5 percent.  The government aims to increase the annual consumption of palm oil-based biodiesel this year by 76.47 percent, to 5.7 million kiloliters.