Indonesia conducts test of diesel train running on 40 pct palm oil blending

JAKARTA, July 23 (Xinhua) — Indonesia has conducted its first test of diesel locomotives running on fuel containing 40 percent palm oil. This move is part of the government’s agenda to increase the use of palm-based biodiesel fuel in various types of transportation.
The program, known as Biodiesel 40 (B40), tests the feasibility of a cleaner fuel composed of 40 percent fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) derived from crude palm oil and 60 percent of fossil fuel diesel. This blend aims to provide an alternative fuel source for vehicles.
Collaboratively run by the country’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and state-owned railway operator PT KAI, the trial on Monday used the Bogowonto train in the trip between the Lempuyangan station in Yogyakarta and the Pasar Senen station in capital Jakarta.
In a statement published on Tuesday, Eniya Listiani Dewi, the ministry’s director general of New and Renewable Energy, said the trial aimed to test the durability of the Bogowonto train’s generator set for 1,200 hours.
With an estimated duration of 22 hours per round trip from Lempuyangan to Pasar Senen, Dewi estimated that the results would be achieved in approximately two months.
“We hope that all trials can be completed this December so that the use of B40 can fully be carried out in 2025,” Dewi added. ■