Pertamina to introduce engine oil compatible with 20% biodiesel blends

Pertamina Lubricants President Director Gigih Wahyu Hari Irianto said the company plans to introduce a new engine oil that will be compatible with higher biodiesel blends next month.

Some users are worried that higher biodiesel blends, such as 20%, could damage diesel engines.

“We will launch a new lubricant product next month. It is expected to settle the issue,” said Irianto.

Pertamina has prepared 63 fuel terminals in 31 cities to store diesel fuel and serve as distribution points to support Indonesia’s mandatory biodiesel program, Jakarta Times reported.

This year, the biodiesel content in petroleum diesel was raised to 15%. However, changes in regulatory and procurement mechanisms have delayed its implementation.

Figures from Pertamina showed that as much as 300,000 kiloliters of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was blended with petroleum diesel from January to October. Pertamina’s target is to be able to blend 966,785 kiloliters by year-end.

When the 20% biodiesel mix is finally implemented, the state-owned oil and gas company expects as much as 5.14 million kiloliters of FAME will be used to blend with petroleum diesel fuel.