S

tate oil and gas company Pertamina is planning to bulldoze houses and buildings on an 80-hectare plot of land it owns in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, to make way for the expansion of its Refinery Unit V.

Among the buildings affected by the plan are hundreds of employees'€™ homes, four places of worship and the 10,000-seat Parikesit Stadium, the home of local soccer club Persiba since 1950.

Balikpapan Pertamina spokesperson Dian Hapsari said the company had begun informing relevant parties of the plan.

'€œNext week, we will meet the Persiba management [to discuss the plan],'€ Dian said on Sunday.

The employees will, according to Dian, be given replacement houses in a number of locations, including at the foot of Mount Dubbs, located 2 kilometers south of the area set to be cleared. The expansion to the refinery is expected to boost its fuel production capacity from 260,000 to 360,000 barrels daily.