Indonesia pushes for the use of palm oil in the production of clean aviation fuel
On Friday, a Boeing 737-800 NG took off in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, carrying more than a hundred passengers to the city of Surakarta, 550 km from Jakarta. An ordinary flight, in general, differed from thousands of similar ones in that the plane was filled with fuel with the addition of palm oil. The same one is added to chocolate, baked goods, ice cream, milk, and various other products.
Garuda Indonesia CEO Irfan Setiaputra said: ” We will have further discussions with Pertamina [Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company], the Ministry of Energy, and other parties to ensure that this fuel is commercially reasonable .”
Boeing 737-800 NG makes first commercial flight using palm oil fuel in Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, so the company is pushing for greater use of it in biofuels to reduce imports of jet fuel.
Palm Oil Jet Fuel is produced by Pertamina at its refinery using hydrotreated esters and fatty acids technology and uses refined deodorized palm oil. The oil and gas company says palm oil-infused fuels are more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels, and palm oil-producing countries have called for it to be included in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Eco-friendliness is a good thing, but countries around the world have expressed concern about the large deforestation involved in palm oil plantation production, and the European Union has imposed import restrictions on the commodity.
