B50 Reaches 94% of Fuel Stations, but Volume Data Needs Clarification

Jakarta — Indonesia's National Energy Council (DEN) says B50 distribution had reached 6,050 of the country's 6,412 fuel stations, or about 94%, by September 2026. DEN stakeholder representative Satya Widya Yudha said the remaining 6% mainly covered remote and isolated areas where fuel deliveries remain difficult.

Satya presented the figures during an energy policy event at Brawijaya University in Malang on 16 October 2026. TIMES Indonesia reported that he also put distributed B50 volume at 3.4 million kilolitres. DEN said coverage of the remaining locations would be completed in stages.

Remote areas remain the final distribution challenge

The 94% coverage indicates that B50 is available across most of Indonesia's retail fuel network, but the last group of stations depends on transport access and supply-chain readiness. Satya said deliveries to isolated regions were not straightforward, meaning the final 6% would take additional time.

That challenge is consistent with a Pertamina Patra Niaga explanation reported by Vibizmedia on 15 October. The company said the Sintang fuel terminal had faced difficulty distributing B50 because lower river levels during the dry season restricted fuel transport. Another 362 stations were reported to be in transition because of handling and distribution constraints, mostly in remote areas.

Indonesia began implementing B50 on 1 July 2026, followed by a three-month transition to use remaining B40 stocks and adjust distribution operations. B50 contains 50% palm-based fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and 50% fossil diesel. DEN's station count matches an earlier figure from the Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE): 6,050 locations supplying B50 and 362 still in transition.

The 3.4 million kL figure needs a clearer definition

The volume cited in the latest report, however, differs from previously reported government data. Satya was quoted as saying that 3.4 million kilolitres had been distributed by September, while EBTKE told a parliamentary hearing that biodiesel distribution had reached 10.69 million kilolitres by early September 2026.

The difference may reflect separate periods, products or accounting scopes, but neither report provides enough detail to establish the reason. The 3.4 million-kilolitre figure therefore should not be treated as a replacement for total national biodiesel distribution without clarification from DEN or the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).

Consistent data matter for evaluating B50 because distributed volume affects FAME demand, displaced fossil diesel, logistics requirements and calculations of biodiesel funding support. The government needs to publish comparable definitions and measurement periods so monthly progress can be assessed against Indonesia's biodiesel mandate data.

DEN backs palm yields and ethanol research

Satya said palm oil demand for exports, cooking oil and transport fuel could be met without disrupting one another if plantation productivity improved. He argued that intensification should come before opening new areas, particularly because smallholder yields remain below the potential levels cited by the government.

DEN is also encouraging ethanol development to reduce dependence on petrol. The statement remains a policy and research direction: TIMES Indonesia referred to E50, while previously announced government plans have focused on lower blending stages. Any higher mandate would require clear rules, feedstock supply, quality standards, vehicle testing and distribution readiness.