Jakarta (VNA) – State-owned rail operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Regional Division I North Sumatra officially transitioned its entire railway operations from B40 biodiesel to Biosolar B50 on July 5, marking a strategic step to support the government's "Blue Sky" programme and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Between July 5 and 10, KAI Regional Division I North Sumatra consumed 97,580 litres of Biosolar B50, a blend of 50% palm oil-based biodiesel and 50% diesel, to power locomotives and electricity generation systems, statistics showed. Initial evaluations indicated that the transition from B40 to B50 proceeded smoothly, without disrupting railway operations or public services.
Anwar Yuli Prastyo, Public Relations Manager of KAI Regional Division I North Sumatra, said that by using Biosolar B50, KAI is not only reducing its dependence on fossil fuels but also actively contributing to environmental protection while maintaining the reliability of its rolling stock to ensure the highest level of railway safety.
Technical assessments have shown that using B50 can reduce excess exhaust emissions by up to 10.5%. At the national level, wider adoption of the fuel is expected to help Indonesia cut an additional 4.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared with the 39.66 million tonnes already reduced through the use of B40.
KAI's move is in line with the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources' policy to accelerate energy self-sufficiency and gradually phase out diesel imports. Energy experts from the Indonesian Association of Petroleum Engineers (IATMI) also believe that the B50 programme will play a crucial role in reducing fuel imports and laying a solid foundation for the transition to cleaner renewable energy based on the country's abundant domestic resources./.
