TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Agency for Technology Research and Application (BPPT) is currently developing green petroleum, which is expected to replace fossil fuel in the future. The development is being carried out in cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

"Green petroleum [has the potential] to replace conventional fuel because it has similar chemical structure [with conventional fuel]. Similar, not identical," said Adiarso, Director of BPPT’s Energy Resources and Chemical Industry Technology Center as quoted by Antara on Wednesday, April 21, 2016.

Adiarso added that green petroleum, which will be developed from oil palm biomass, will have better quality compared to biodiesel. However, Adiarso said that it will took at least two to three years before the alternative fuel can be produced in a factory.

"The whole study and technological application [phase] can take up to five to 10 years, and we would need at least Rp 5 billion to develop a pilot plant," Adiarso said

Adiarso asserted that Indonesia must continue to utilize biomass as an alternative energy source because currently, the country has become an importer of oil and its coal reserves will only last until 2030.

"Only 23 percent of low quality coal reserves left available because good quality coals are being exported. In 2031, Indonesia will become an importer of all kinds of fossil fuel," Adiarso said.

ANTARA