The Indonesian Government is planning to issue a new regulation to maximise the usage and production of renewable energy, including bio-energy, as an alternative to fossil fuels. The new regulation will replace the ministry’s extant regulation (introduced in 2008) on bio-fuel. Under the new regulation, the management of bio-fuel and bio-diesel production activities will be handed over to the directorate general of renewable energy and energy conservation. Data from media reports show that the country still relies on oil to meet 44 per cent of its energy needs, while gas accounts for 23 per cent; coal, 27 per cent and renewable energy, only 6 per cent. In its long-term energy development strategy to 2050, the Indonesian Government had set a target of changing the above-mentioned into 30 per cent for renewable energy, 26 per cent for coal, 24 per cent for natural gas and 20 per cent for oil.
