Fueling E20 Bioethanol: Military’s Growing Role in Indonesia’s Energy & Food Security
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is pushing for an aggressive transition to E20 bioethanol fuel to enhance energy and food security. The plan involves building dozens of processing plants and increasing military involvement in agricultural management.
Why it matters
The strategy represents a significant shift in national energy policy and an expansion of the military's role in domestic economic administration.
President Prabowo Subianto noted that Indonesia's extensive plantation resources give the country enough leverage to match India's bioethanol achievements. The initial phase of the roadmap will focus on transitioning to an E10 blend before fully advancing to E20. To support this volume, President Prabowo has ordered the construction of 30 to 50 new bioethanol processing plants. Speaking at a Simultaneous Grand Harvest event in Malang, East Java, on Friday (17 July 2026), he highlighted that while the country is technically ready to begin the E10 transition, scaling up to E20 will require aggressive infrastructure expansion given that Indonesia currently operates only one functional bioethanol factory.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in