Pertamina to Trial Palm Biogasoline and Expand Sorghum Bioethanol

Jakarta — Pertamina is developing palm-based biogasoline for trials at two refineries while expanding its bioethanol research from molasses to sorghum and other domestic feedstocks. The initiative, announced on 10 October 2026, signals that the company's biofuel strategy is moving beyond B50 biodiesel towards a broader portfolio of lower-emission fuels for road transport and aviation.

Pertamina Senior Vice President for Business Development Ary Kurniawan said the diversification was intended to widen Indonesia's domestic energy options. Alongside palm-based biogasoline, the company is developing bioethanol from sugarcane molasses and assessing alternative feedstocks capable of meeting specifications for blending with petrol.

Palm biogasoline heads to refinery trials

Kompas.com reported that the palm-based biogasoline would be tested at two Pertamina refineries. The company has not disclosed the refinery locations, trial capacity, commercial production timetable or targeted blending rate. The project should therefore be viewed as a technology and validation programme rather than an announcement of a market-ready fuel.

Pertamina is also using used cooking oil (UCO) as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Together, the projects outline different pathways for different transport markets: palm oil and other plant resources for lower-carbon petrol, molasses and sorghum for bioethanol, and used cooking oil for aviation fuel.

Ary said the expansion of biofuels would still require government policy support, including mandates for renewable fuel use. Regulation matters because deployment depends not only on technical performance but also on demand certainty, feedstock prices, refinery investment and fuel-quality standards.

Sorghum is being tested from cultivation to processing

For bioethanol, Pertamina had already developed a pilot project using fermented sorghum biomass in East Nusa Tenggara. In September 2026, Pertamina New & Renewable Energy launched a Bioethanol Development Center in Tegineneng, Pesawaran Regency, Lampung, with production capacity of up to 60 kilolitres per year.

The Lampung facility is designed to test feedstock and technology combinations before projects advance to demonstration or commercial scale. Its trials cover pre-treatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation and dehydration. The centre applies a multi-feedstock model and evaluates both first-generation and second-generation bioethanol technology.

Sorghum is among the feedstocks under consideration because it can be harvested as many as three times a year. Its juice can supply first-generation bioethanol, while the remaining stalks and biomass can be assessed for second-generation production. This approach aims to use more of the crop, although commercial economics and reliable large-scale feedstock supply still need to be demonstrated.

Diversification reduces reliance on a single feedstock

Developing biogasoline, bioethanol, SAF and biodiesel in parallel could reduce reliance on one feedstock or one fuel market. Each pathway nevertheless has distinct constraints. Biogasoline must meet petrol specifications and refinery requirements, bioethanol needs dependable supplies of sugar- or starch-bearing crops, and SAF faces stringent aviation standards and certification requirements.

For Indonesia, the main significance of Pertamina's move is not merely a longer list of renewable fuels. It is the shift towards systematic testing of local resources before commercial investment decisions are made. Technical results, production costs, feedstock sustainability and the scale of government mandates will determine whether palm biogasoline and sorghum bioethanol can move from pilot projects to national energy supply.