Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto announced that the government will establish processing centers to convert palm oil and used cooking oil into aviation fuel, as part of efforts to develop alternative energy sources. Speaking at the inauguration of an electric commercial vehicle assembly plant in Magelang, Central Java, on Thursday, Prabowo emphasized that aviation fuel can now be produced from palm oil, which is abundant in Indonesia. He added that raw materials could also be sourced from recycled cooking oil waste. “Now, aviation fuel can also be made from palm oil, and we have plenty of palm oil. In the future, aviation fuel can be made from used cooking oil, waste, and leftover cooking oil; we can process it into aviation fuel,” Prabowo said. He further noted that the government will soon open processing centers and refineries dedicated to producing aviation fuel from these materials. “In the near future, we will open processing centers and refineries for this. We will invest heavily in this sector,” he said. Earlier, during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on April 8, Prabowo stated that the global crisis triggered by war presents an opportunity for Indonesia to accelerate the development of new and renewable energy to strengthen national security. The president is promoting energy self-sufficiency by developing biofuels from cassava and corn as alternatives to diesel and gasoline, aiming to reduce fuel imports by maximizing domestic resources. “And we can use coal; we can produce diesel and gasoline from coal, from cassava, from corn,” he said. Prabowo stressed that Indonesia has a strong economic foundation and energy security to withstand global disruptions. He noted that the country is relatively insulated from the direct impact of international energy supply shocks due to its independent energy sources.