Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif revealed that the efficiency of burning dimethyl ether or DME is better than Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) so that it is suitable as an alternative fuel for energy substitution programs in Indonesia.
Arifin said, from about 200 experiments conducted by Lemigas, it showed that the efficiency of LPG burning DME was also better than LPG.
“The heavy carbon fraction in LPG is still left in the rest of the bottle, while DME can still be optimized, so this is one of the advantages,” said Arifin.
Utilization of DME, continued Arifin, uses a type of coal that has 3,800 kcal/kg calories because it is not used for PLN needs. “This is also done at the mine mouth location, making the transportation process easier,” he added.
Furthermore, the government has taken into account the agreed economic price of DME so that this product can compete with LPG prices.
The benefits received by the state through DME substitution are in the form of utilizing natural resources, saving foreign exchange for LPG imports, and fulfilling in-situ at the mine mouth location which can overcome the issue of scarcity.
Currently, Indonesia is building a coal downstream factory into DME in Muara Enim, South Sumatra. The project is projected to produce 1.4 million tons of DME per year from 6 million tons of low-calorie coal as raw material.
The government hopes that the DME project can create jobs for around 13,000 people at the construction stage. As for the downstream sector, which will be managed by Pertamina, it is expected to be able to create 12 thousand new jobs.
The coal downstream project into DME is the result of a collaboration between the United States and Indonesia through Air Products & Chemicals Inc., PT Bukit Asam, and Pertamina. The government targets the company to realize the planned investment value of USD 15 billion for the coal gasification industry and its derivatives in Indonesia.
In addition to DME, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has several alternatives related to LPG substitution, including through the household gas network to the use of electric stoves.
(pgr/pgr)
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