Malaysia to Implement B10 Biodiesel Programme by Mid-2019
by Emily Chow (Reuters) Malaysia will implement a higher biodiesel mandate from the second half of 2019, raising the minimum bio-content local producers must put in biodiesel to 10 percent from the current 7 percent, in a move to support palm oil prices.
The higher biodiesel blending mandate will soak up more supplies of palm oil, used as feedstock to make biodiesel, and reduce stockpiles in Malaysia, the world’s second largest producer of the edible oil.
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Malaysia’s implementation of the higher palm oil percentages was delayed twice in 2016 when oil prices were low, and made conventional diesel more price competitive than biodiesel.
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Prices of palm oil, used to produce the bio components of biodiesel, have shed nearly 12 percent since the start of the year partly on weak demand. READ MORE
Malaysia says will finally implement B10 in H2 (Biofuels Digest)
Govt Engages Truck Manufacturers On B10 Biodiesel Mandate (Malaysian Digest)
Indonesia pushes biodiesel plan to stop currency tanking (The Star)
Indonesia Needs ‘Dollars Now,’ President Says, Urging Greater Biodiesel Use (Jakarta Globe)
Indonesia president pushes biodiesel plan to stop currency tanking (Daily Mail/Reuters)
Primary Industries Ministry to enhance usage of biodiesel (The Sun Daily)
Cabinet paper on B10 biodiesel to be tabled by year-end (Bernama/MalaysiaKini)
Excerpt from Biofuels Digest: In Malaysia, Reuters reports that following Indonesia’s decision to push forward its B30 blending mandate to 2019 from 2020, Malaysia will follow suit by implementing its B10 mandate by the second half of 2018 following several delays since 2016 to get the policy in place. READ MORE
Excerpt from The Star: Indonesia’s president called on Tuesday for the immediate implementation of a plan to widen the use of biodiesel that his economic ministers hope will cut the country’s fuel import bill by billions of dollars and halt a decline in the rupiah currency.
Joko Widodo also sounded an alarm on the foreign exchange reserves of Southeast Asia’s largest economy, less than a week after he pleaded with exporters to bring home earnings they currently keep offshore to stem the slide in the rupiah.
“The country needs dollars now,” Widodo said at the opening of a cabinet meeting, before reporters were ushered out. ”I don’t want to keep doing meetings without good implementation.” Concerns about tighter US monetary policy and a global trade war have put emerging market currencies under pressure.
Indonesia’s central bank has spent about US$12bil of its foreign exchange reserves in recent months and hiked policy interest rates by 100 basis points to defend the rupiah , which has lost about 6% of its value against the dollar this year. READ MORE