TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsMiners brace for rising equipment damage, cost risks amid B50 mandate
The core problem lies in the chemical nature of the biofuel, which readily absorbs water, causing premature fuel injector damage and faster filter contamination.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Heavy equipment is operated at a coal mine in East Kalimantan owned by PT Berau Coal. (JP/Indra Harsaputra)
T
he government’s move to implement the B50 biodiesel mandate, which began in July, has raised concerns among mining industry players over escalating maintenance costs and declining machinery performance, based on their experience with lower biodiesel blends.
Sudirman Widhy Hartono, chairman of the Indonesian Mining Experts Association (Perhapi), told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that while the impact of B50 fuel on mining vehicles and heavy equipment remains to be seen, the industry’s experience since the introduction of B10 in 2014 paints a troubling picture. B10 contains only 10 percent palm oil-based biodiesel in the form of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), while B50 contains 50 percent.
Heavy mining equipment has been forced to repeatedly adjust engine conditions to absorb ever-increasing biodiesel content, most recently with the introduction of B40 in early 2025.
Evaluations of current B40 usage indicate that the mining industry has already begun to complain about its impacts. Beyond higher maintenance costs, the blend reduces heavy equipment performance.
Read also: Indonesia rolls out B50 biodiesel mandate, lifting palm oil demand
The core problem lies in the hygroscopic nature of FAME, which readily absorbs water, causing premature fuel injector damage and faster filter contamination.
When the industry shifted from B35 to B40 last year, maintenance and repair costs jumped 17 percent.
