JAKARTA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will start a mandatory 35 percent palm oil biodiesel blending program on Feb. 1, 2023, the country's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said on Thursday.
The program was initially planned to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2023.
"To make sure everything is ready, this mandate will take effect on Feb. 1, 2023," the ministry's Director of Bioenergy Edi Wibowo told Xinhua.
Wibowo said the preparations for the implementation of the program had been carried out since the end of October, but the government needs to ensure adequate infrastructure and supply.
This is a policy to anticipate a surge in world oil prices and reduce imports of diesel fuel, as well as expand the use of renewable energy, said Wibowo.
Indonesia, the largest palm oil-producing country in the world, targets the use of biodiesel for domestic consumption of 13.15 million kiloliters in 2023. ■
