Pertamina, Wilmar to produce biofuel for mining industry in Kalimantan
Monday, July 16 2012 - 04:05 AM WIB
State oil and gas company PT Pertamina and the Wilmar Group are in cooperation to start producing biofuel for mining industry in Kalimantan this month, and developing a retail-purposed biofuel.
?This month we?ll start producing the biofuel for mining industry in Kalimantan. We?ve been also in cooperation with the Wilmar Group to develop the biofuel using the raw material FAME (Fatty Acid of Methyl Ester) extracted from palm oil. This will be sold in Pertamina?s SPBU (refueling stations),? Pertamina?s Vice President for marketing of industrial and marine oil fuels, Ferdy Novianto, said in Jakarta on Monday.
Ferdy said that the FAME-based biofuel for mining industry only amounted to 2 percent of the total allocation of oil fuels. It is because the equipment for processing the FAME for the oil fuels is relatively expensive.
?We?ll make FAME content initially at 2 percent for the mining industry. The main target of oil fuel production is the mining industry in Kalimantan,? he said.
Ferdy noted that the need of oil fuel for mining industry in Kalimantan now reached between 230 and 300 thousand kiloliters per month. So, the FAME content for the biofuel is 2 percent of the total amount.
The development and production of the bio-fuel is aimed at reducing the country?s dependence on the fossil-based oil fuels.
Editing by Benget Besalicto Tnb.