Pertamina to join hands with four countries to develop green diesel

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina will work with at least four countries - Brazil, the United States, Italy and Germany - to develop green diesel, Investor Daily reported Saturday.

Pertamina?s director of processing Suroso Atmomartoyo said that the four countries have competent technology to develop green diesel industry.

?Green diesel technology is still fresh and only these countries have the competency in developing the industry,? Suroso said Friday.

Suroso said that the technology used in the process would be ?hydrogenation process? and can be used only at refineries that have hydrogen machines, adding that Balikpapan, Dumai and Balongan refineries are only to fulfill the requirement.

According to Suroso, Pertamina has brought in experts from Brazil (Petrobras) to produce green diesel on a trial basis. ?But we consider it was not economical because raw material from palm oil is very expensive at a rate of $500 per ton,? He said.

He said Pertamina can use castor oil but so far nobody has offered to supply castor oil in large quantity. ?The oil (castor) is in fact very good but the production is low. As far as our requirements are concerned, I feel the supply is not enough,? Suroso said.

Pertamina and Petrobras are still continuing to study it (green diesel) and also with others countries, he added. (*)