Pertamina To Focus On Development Of Renewable Energy

Yogyakarta (Antara Bali) - State-owned oil company PT Pertamina said it will be focused more on development of renewable sources energy to contribute to national energy security.

"We are trying to change our way of thinking by encouraging research to develop new energy  and renewable energy sources," Pertamina President Director Dwi Soetjipto said in  a talk show held at the state Gajah Mada University (UGM), here on Thursday.

A breakthrough is necessary to bring the idea about renewable energy to reality after long and widely discussed publicly  in the country, Dwi said.

The use of alternative sources of energy is urgent more and more  with the growing demand for energy  and shrinking production of oil, he said. Indonesia, formerly a member of OPEC,   has long become a net importer of oil, which is still the main source of energy in the country .

The country's production of around 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day is far from enough to meet the country's requirement of around 1.3 million barrels per day. "In order to meet the requirement,  Pertamina has to increase its production capacity to 1.6 million barrels per day," Dwi said.

He said so far, the country has not been serious enough to carry out the program of  development of new and renewable energy. Fossil energy is still dominant in development program and consumption, he said.

He said Pertamina has just formed a directorate in charge of development of new and renewable energy sources. but until now its main job is still in development of  gas energy. However, the focus of job of the directorate would soon be expanded to development of new and renewable energy sources, Dwi said.

He said the government already gave support by asking Pertamina to produce biomass to be mixed with oil fuel.

"The government has regulated the use of biomass fuel to be blended with oil fuel in a ratio of 15 percent," he said.

Dwi also said that Pertamina will soon build new oil mills  to increased its production capacity for oil fuels.  One of the mills will be built in Bontang, East Kalimantan. Meanwhile, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X said in developing new and renewable energy  Indonesia  could  learn from Brazil. (WDY)