Indonesia Invites Japan to Develop Green Energy from Palm Oil

INDONESIAN delegation led by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan visited Japan to strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries. Indonesia invited Japan to develop sustainable green energy from palm oil.

In a bilateral meeting with Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Hiroshige Seko, Jonan required Japan to support Indonesian palm oil certification standard (Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil) apart from Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

The delegation included President Director of the Indonesia Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) Dono Boestami, Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources FX Sutjiastoto, Indonesian Ambassador in Japan Arifin Tasrif, Ombudsman Commissioner Laode Ida, Chairman of Indonesian Biofuel Producers Association (Aprobi) MP Tumanggor, and Chairman Gama Group Martua Sitorus.

Earlier, Japan has pushed back the requirement for palm oil used in biomass power plants to have Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification until 2021 rather than the previously planned 31 March 2019 deadline. The extension came as part of bilateral cooperation negotiations with Indonesia. Japan also agreed to accept other certification schemes in addition to RSPO.

Dono Boestami added that Japan should accept ISPO because it is a mandatory certification for Indonesian palm oil industry. “RSPO is acquired on voluntary basis.” 

Laode Ida reiterated Dono’s view saying that Indonesian palm oil industry is environmentally friendly. “Indonesia doesn’t tolerate oil palm plantation that harm the environment.” Japan is a consumer of Indonesian palm oil, particularly oil palm kernel shell used in biomass power plants. In 2018, Indonesia exported 1.51 million tons palm oil products, 1.12 million tons of them were oil palm kernel shell. **