Pertamax Green 95 Launches with 5% Bioethanol at IDR 13,500 per Litre

Jakarta — PT Pertamina (Persero) launched Pertamax Green 95 on 24 July 2023, introducing a 95-octane petrol blended with 5% bioethanol, known as E5. The fuel went on sale at IDR 13,500 per litre at selected fuel stations in Jakarta and Surabaya, marking the commercial entry of sugarcane-derived bioethanol into Indonesia’s road-fuel market.

Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati said the launch formed part of the company’s effort to develop renewable fuels and reduce reliance on fossil petrol. ANTARA reported on the launch day that Pertamax Green 95 combined Pertamax petrol with bioethanol made from molasses, a by-product of sugar processing.

E5 petrol is different from biodiesel

Pertamax Green 95 is separate from Indonesia’s mandatory biodiesel programme. Bioethanol is blended into petrol for spark-ignition engines, while FAME-based biodiesel is blended into diesel fuel for compression-ignition engines. The E5 label refers to a 5% bioethanol content, while 95 identifies the fuel’s research octane number.

At the launch, Pertamina said the product met the specification for RON 95 petrol. It was positioned between 92-octane Pertamax and 98-octane Pertamax Turbo. DetikFinance reported that its introductory price of IDR 13,500 per litre was higher than Pertamax but lower than Pertamax Turbo at the time.

Initial sales were limited to Jakarta and Surabaya. Pertamina selected the two cities as the opening market before any broader distribution. This limited rollout meant that the 24 July launch did not create a nationwide E5 mandate; consumers were being offered a new commercial fuel option.

A supply chain linked to sugarcane

The bioethanol used in the blend came from the sugar industry. Pertamina said the feedstock was molasses, which can be fermented into fuel-grade ethanol. The E5 programme therefore depends not only on terminals and fuel stations, but also on producers being able to supply ethanol of consistent quality and volume.

The launch connected energy diversification with efforts to develop Indonesia’s sugar industry. Demand from the transport-fuel sector could create an additional market for a sugar-processing by-product. The scale of that opportunity, however, would depend on domestic supply, production costs, fuel-quality standards and the number of stations carrying the product.

An early step in broader biofuel diversification

For Indonesia’s bioenergy policy, Pertamax Green 95 broadened a programme that had been much more visible in palm-based biodiesel. E5 demonstrated a commercial route for renewable content in petrol, although its initial scale remained far smaller than the country’s diesel-blending programme.

As of 24 July 2023, the significance of the launch lay not only in its retail price but in the creation of an initial market for bioethanol petrol. Consumer acceptance, reliable ethanol supplies and distribution readiness would determine the next stage. Readers can compare renewable-fuel terminology in the Media Biodiesel glossary.