VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Energy Ministers' meeting who are members of the G20 agreed on the important role of biofuels for the clean energy transition.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif attended the meeting on the second day of the G20 Energy Ministerial level virtually.

Arifin Tasrif said on the website of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jakarta, on Wednesday, that Indonesia is trying to build national energy independence and sovereignty by encouraging increased use of biofuels.

The meeting resulted in documents related to the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Platform. 

One of the successful innovations is the implementation of biodiesel 30 percent (B30) in the transportation sector, which is estimated to reduce emissions by 16.9 million tons of CO2. 

"This biodiesel utilization program is a concrete form of Indonesia's active participation in the action to reduce global GHG emissions," Arifin said at the meeting.

He said Indonesia has also found an effective catalyst in the production process of fractions or types of petroleum formation using palm oil or green fuels at Pertamina's refineries, namely Katalis Merah Putih.

In the joint communique, the G20 Energy Ministers acknowledged that the current crisis, apart from having a direct impact on health, economy, and society, has caused the destabilization of the global energy market.

They also noted the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on the most vulnerable communities and communities, underlining the need to ensure that energy sector recovery efforts leave no one behind.

Therefore, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed on the importance of international cooperation in ensuring energy system resilience that benefits all parties.

"We emphasize that the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic have not dampened our determination to advance our efforts by exploring various options and leveraging various technologies and fuels according to the national context to ensure a stable and uninterrupted supply of energy to achieve economic growth," the Joint Communique states.

Meanwhile, in the CCE Platform document, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed that biofuel is one of the important components to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through technology and innovation or reduce elements and neutralize carbon emissions through natural processes and decomposition or recycle elements.

Biofuels together with hydrogen could play a role in accelerating the energy transition to cleaner energy systems and supporting economic growth.

"We also note the cross-sector roles of bio-energy and biofuels among the four elements in the CCE," the Joint Communique of the G20 Energy Ministers states.

The CCE Platform has four elements, namely reduce, which is an effort to reduce GHG emissions by utilizing technology and innovation.

The second element is reuse, namely reusing carbon emissions and making it an industrial raw material. Next is recycling, neutralizing carbon emissions through natural processes and decomposition.

The fourth element is removed, which removes emissions from the atmosphere and heavy industry and facilities through carbon capture and storage.

At the end of the meeting, the G20 Energy Ministers agreed to encourage a transition to clean energy with a wider variety of options, technologies, and fuels under the conditions and situations of each country. (Antaranews)