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Indonesia, Toyota in talks on potential bioethanol project

April 20, 2026 2:04 AM EDT

Toyota logo on display at the 47th Bangkok International Motor Show 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

JAKARTA, April 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia ‌is in ​talks ​with Japan's Toyota Motor Asia on a potential joint investment in bioethanol production in the Southeast Asian country, ‌a government official and executives from Toyota told reporters ⁠on Monday.

Here are some details:

• A renewable energy subsidiary of Indonesia's state energy ‌firm Pertamina is discussing ‌potential joint investment with Toyota Tsusho for a bioethanol plant in Indonesia's Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra, said ​Deputy Investment Minister Todotua Pasaribu.

• If they reach a deal, construction on a plant with capacity of 60,000 kilolitres ⁠of bioethanol per annum could start in the second half of 2026, with production eyed ​in 2028, he said.

• A new 6,000-hectare (around 14,800 acres) sorghum plantation will produce the feedstock, Pasaribu said.

• ​The estimated total cost of the ‌investment is $200 million-$300 million, he said.

• Japan's Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels (raBit) ⁠is involved in the talks, Pasaribu said.

• Speaking alongside Pasaribu, Masahiko Maeda, Toyota Motor Asia's chief executive for the Asia region, said Toyota ⁠vehicles could use the bioethanol produced in the Lampung plant.

• Pras Ganesh, an ​executive vice president of Toyota Motor Asia, told Reuters on the sidelines of the press conference that discussions were still underway and a deal ‌has not been reached.

• Indonesia has set a target to produce bioethanol using domestically available sources such ‌as biomass from palm oil, corn and sorghum to reduce its ⁠reliance on imported fuels.

• ‌The country plans to ​impose mandatory 10% bioethanol content in gasoline in 2028.

(Reporting by Stefanno SulaimanWriting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by ‌David Stanway)



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