Agreement on National Catalyst Factory Signed
MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
PRESS RELEASE
NUMBER: 266.Pers/04/SJI/2020
Date: 29 July 2020
Agreement on National Catalyst Factory Signed
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR), Arifin Tasrif, and Minister for Research and Technology/Head of National Research and Innovation Agency, Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brodjonegoro, on Wednesday (29/7) witnessed the signing of a Joint Venture Company (JVC) agreement to set up the first national catalyst factory in Indonesia.
The catalyst factory is the Ministry of EMR's effort to promote the development of clean energy by increasing process technology. "Catalysts are an important element that accelerates process reaction that forms the final products. Almost all process industries, whether it is chemical industry, petrochemical, oleochemical, including biomass or plant-based renewable energy technology, need catalysts," said Arifin at the Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB).
The mastery of the catalyst technology, continued Arifin, is the initial step towards self-reliance in the process technology field. This is in line with the national demand for catalysts, which has grown quite significantly in the last three years. "In 2017, the national demand was USD500 million, while in 2020 it grew less than 6% annually to USD595.5 million," he detailed.
Arifin explained that the existence of a national catalyst factory is a key to the process technology and strengthens the domestic process industry; thus, reducing dependency on imported catalysts. "This will create sovereignty of the national process technology," he added.
The government appreciates ITB for initiating the research on catalyst development for the oil refinery and the petrochemical industries and the development of renewable energy process since 1982. "We highly appreciate ITB's efforts to develop the catalyst industry for education, which include a catalyst factory with a capacity of 1-5 kg/batch," said Arifin.
The catalyst factory, which will be named the Merah Putih (the red and white, the color of Indonesian flag) Catalyst Factory, will be built by PT Katalis Sinergi Indonesia jointly with PT Pertamina, PT Pupuk Kujang, and PT Rekacipta Inovasi ITB. "This factory is the first to be developed and built by Indonesian people," affirmed Arifin.
Construction will start at the year's end and the factory is expected to start operation in 2021. "I hope the factory will support our country's energy security in the future," Arifin expected.
The JVC agreement for the catalyst factory was signed by President Director of Pertamina Nicke Widyawati, Acting President Director of PT Pupuk Kujang Rita Widayati, and Pesident Director of PT Rekacipta Inovasi ITB Alam Indrawan.
The development of the Merah Putih catalyst is one of the four development projects of green fuel proposed in the National Strategic Project (PSN) of 2020, namely the Green Diesel Bio Revamping of RU IV Cilacap, Refinery Unit III Plaju Green Refinery, CPO Hydrogenation of PT. Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang, and the Merah Putih catalyst of PT. Pupuk Kujang Cikampek. (IY)
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