Economy Minister To Do Site Visit In Selangor To View Biodiesel Blending Process -- Fahmi

PUTRAJAYA, April 15 (Bernama) -- Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir will do a working site visit in Selangor this Saturday to assess the raw inputs used in the biodiesel blending process.

Communications Minister, who is also the MADANI Government spokesman, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said this visit is carried out following the government’s decision to raise Malaysia’s biodiesel blend rate.

“The Economy Minister will visit a premise to look at the raw inputs for the purpose of blending biodiesel this Saturday,” he said at the global energy crisis briefing and post-Cabinet meeting press conference here today.

It is understood that the visit would be to KL-Kepong Oleomas Sdn Bhd, an oleochemical manufacturing company and a unit of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, one of the largest plantation companies in the world.

Fahmi said that during the Cabinet meeting, Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad also stated that facilities for the implementation of biodiesel up to B20 are currently available throughout Sarawak, except in Bintulu, and are also available in Labuan and Langkawi, Kedah.

Yesterday, the government agreed to raise the biodiesel blend rate from B10 to B15, beginning with B12, without involving any additional costs following the crisis in West Asia.

Akmal Nasrullah previously said that the measure is aimed at ensuring that the country's diesel supply is available for a longer period, reducing the high dependence on fossil fuel imports and external markets.

He also said that economic restructuring efforts can be accelerated via the transition to renewable energy. 

-- BERNAMA