PALMOILMAGAZINE, SURABAYA – PTPN IV PalmCo has officially partnered with Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) to develop palm oil-based renewable energy innovations, including biogasoline or palm-based gasoline known as “Benwit,” as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s downstream palm oil industry and energy transition.
The strategic collaboration was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by PalmCo President Director Jatmiko K. Santosa and ITS Rector Bambang Pramujati in Surabaya on Sunday (19/4/2026). The signing ceremony was also witnessed by Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, reflecting government support for accelerating national energy self-sufficiency.
The Agriculture Minister emphasized that collaboration between industry and academia is essential to driving green energy innovation based on domestic resources. He noted that palm oil holds significant potential to be developed into high-value renewable energy products capable of strengthening Indonesia’s energy security.
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“Today we signed the MoU for Benwit. We will begin on a small industrial scale first, and if successful, we will immediately expand to a larger scale. I want this development to be closely supervised so Indonesia can reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. This is a concrete step toward national energy resilience,” Amran stated.
PalmCo President Director Jatmiko K. Santosa explained that the partnership forms part of the company’s broader transformation strategy to expand its role beyond upstream plantation operations into a competitive and sustainable downstream palm oil industry.
“The synergy with ITS represents a concrete step by PalmCo to integrate technological research into industrial-scale applications. Our focus is not only on improving plantation productivity, but also on building a sustainable palm oil business ecosystem, including accelerating clean energy implementation such as biogasoline,” Jatmiko said in an official statement quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com on Tuesday (5/5/2026).
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He added that the collaboration would cover renewable energy development, process technology utilization, and the implementation of zero-waste concepts within plantation operations to create a more efficient and environmentally friendly palm oil industry.
From the academic side, ITS Rector Bambang Pramujati stressed the importance of commercializing university research so it can be directly implemented in industrial sectors. According to him, the development of palm-based gasoline could become a strategic bridge between technological innovation and Indonesia’s growing energy needs.
“This cooperation is an important bridge to ensure innovations such as palm gasoline can be implemented on a wider scale. It opens opportunities for domestic raw materials to be transformed into high-value alternative energy products that support national energy resilience,” Bambang explained.
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Meanwhile, Head of the ITS Research Team, Hosta Ardhyananta, revealed that the project’s main research focus is improving the efficiency of converting crude palm oil into biogasoline products compatible with vehicles currently available in the market.
According to him, the innovation not only addresses energy diversification needs but also aligns with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The five-year collaboration will involve multidisciplinary teams from ITS and PalmCo, with technical support from the Ministry of Agriculture. A joint working team is expected to accelerate the transition of technology from laboratory research into industrial-scale implementation.
If the development of Benwit reaches the commercial phase successfully, the initiative could mark a new chapter in Indonesia’s palm oil downstream industry—from being primarily a vegetable oil producer to becoming a globally competitive producer of palm-based green energy. (P2)
