The latest fire broke out in tank 36T-102, which contained 31,000 kiloliters of gasoline ingredients, at around 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, and was extinguished by 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the refinery’s operator, state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.

Pertamina did not shut down refinery operations and gave an assurance that gasoline supplies were sufficient, but experts have pointed out that Saturday’s fire was the second time the Cilacap refinery caught fire this year, and at least the seventh time since 1995.

Read also: ‘No shutdown’ at Cilacap refinery after blaze: Pertamina

The Cilacap refinery, which is the biggest in the country by capacity, also saw a fire break out in tank T-205 in June this year.

“The incident could potentially undermine investors’ confidence in Pertamina as the company may be considered unable to manage its refineries,” said Energy Watch executive director Mamit Setiawan to The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He suggested Pertamina’s refinery arm, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI), evaluate its health, safety and environment (HSE) management and inspect all existing workers and equipment, especially lightning rods, which are the usual suspect in tank fires.

Pertamina has plans to upgrade four refineries through its Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) and build two new refineries through its Grass Root Refinery (GRR) plan. The six projects require an estimated US$36.3 billion investment in total.

Read also: Pertamina loses partners, eyes new investors for refinery megaprojects

Oil and gas investments reached 53.95 percent of the targeted $16.81 billion for this year, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry data show.

The state-owned company launched the RDMP and GRR to rejuvenate Indonesia’s aging oil-refining industry that has not seen a new refinery since 1994, when the Balongan refinery in West Java kicked into life.

The Balongan refinery also caught fire in May this year, injuring dozens and killing two. Pertamina responded by temporarily shutting down the fifth-largest refinery in the country.

Read also: Balongan refinery fire: Pertamina shuts down facility, authorities evacuate hundreds

KPI corporate secretary Ifki Sukarya said that the impact of the latest incident was being calculated.

He went on to say that KPI was accelerating the Lightning Protection System (LPS) installation and increasing the frequency of routine checks on tanks and lightning rods.

"The incident that occurred has received serious attention from PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional management, including all the company's refineries," he said in a text message on Monday.

Fahmy Radhi, an energy economist at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), said that the fire might also increase fuel imports and impair the company’s financial performance in the fourth quarter of this year.

“Fires on several occasions indicate Pertamina’s neglect of its [facilities] safety and security,” Fahmy told the Post on Monday.

He stressed the importance of a layered security system and regular audits by the energy ministry and independent institutions to minimize such incidents.

Echoing the previous two experts, Abra Talattov, an energy-focused economist with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), said that the fire might affect Pertamina’s reputation and credibility.

“Projects that do not guarantee security are likely to increase the cost of existing investments,” said Abra, who heads Indef’s Center of Food, Energy and Sustainable Development, also on Monday.

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