JAKARTA (Reuters) -The upgrade of Indonesia’s state energy firm Pertamina’s Balikpapan refinery is 96.5% complete and a crucial unit is gearing up to launch operations in the fourth quarter, Pertamina’s refining subsidiary said on Wednesday.
Balikpapan is one of Pertamina’s largest refineries and the upgrade is designed to increase its refining capacity to 360,000 barels per day from 260,000 bpd currently, and will also improve its efficiency and diversify its operations.
“Currently, the Balikpapan and Lawe-Lawe (projects) are entering a crucial phase, leading to equipment commissioning and the start-up of refinery operations,” Taufik Aditiyawarman, president director of Kilang Pertamina Internasional, said in a statement.
A number of the main facilities in Balikpapan have began operations, while the “main priority” unit, the residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) facility, is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter.
“This RFCC unit will expand the products output of the refinery, namely gasoline, LPG, and propylene, the raw material for plastic,” Taufik added.
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina; Editing by David Stanway)
