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View all search resultsBalikpapan refinery fire will not affect operations: Pertamina
One person has been killed and three others have suffered severe injury in a fire at Pertamina’s oil refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, which has now been closed for weeklong repairs.
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tate-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina announced on Sunday that a fire at its Balikpapan oil refinery in East Kalimantan had been extinguished and that the plant’s operations had not been significantly disrupted.
The fire broke out at the refinery’s Plant 5 at around 10:40 a.m. local time on Sunday and had been extinguished by around 11:31 a.m., according to communications manager Ely Chandra at Pertamina Refinery Unit V Balikpapan.
“One person was killed and three others are in intensive care at Pertamina Balikpapan Hospital after the incident. Two contractors exposed to heat have returned to their homes after receiving treatment,” Ely said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Separately, Balikpapan refinery general manager Wahyu Sulistyo said: “We express our deepest condolences for the victims of the accident. We will take responsibility for all victims.”
While Pertamina did not shut down the refinery during the incident, Ely said in a statement on Monday that Plant 5 would be temporarily shut down for repairs that were expected to be completed in seven days.
Read also: ‘No shutdown’ at Cilacap refinery after blaze: Pertamina
He also made assurances “that fuel production continues to proceed safely”.
“We are also preparing plans to replace the production of high-octane mogas component [HOMC] at Plant 5, which is necessary to produce fuel oil,” Ely added.
The HOMC produced at Plant 5 is needed to make high-octane fuel like Pertamax.
After the repair work was completed, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry would be investigating to establish the cause of the fire, said Mirza Mahendra, the ministry’s director of oil and gas engineering and environment.
“So far, there are indications that the fire was caused by a fire spark in a pipeline at Plant 5,” Mirza said on Monday.
Read also: Fire at Pertamina’s Cilacap refinery may deter investment: Experts
Earlier in March, a fire broke out at hydrocracker unit B of the Balikpapan refinery, the second largest in the country by capacity.
The refinery processes 260,000 barrels per day of crude oil, around 25 percent of the national capacity, and contributes 15.6 percent of the national crude oil market, according to Pertamina data.
