TIMES AUSTRALIA, JAKARTA – PT Pertamina (Persero) is steadfast in completing the Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, where the project has reached a significant milestone with the Turn Around (TA) Revamp program targeted to finish in early May 2024.

The RDMP Balikpapan is poised to become the largest oil refinery in Indonesia.

"We all pray for and fully support the smooth progress of the revamping process, a crucial milestone of the RDMP project, to increase operational capacity," said Pertamina's President Director, Nicke Widyawati, in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday (4/4/2024).

Nicke visited the RDMP Balikpapan Project on Tuesday (April 2, 2024). The TA Revamp program aims to integrate existing refinery units with new units resulting from the RDMP project.

The success of the RDMP Balikpapan project will increase the production capacity of the Balikpapan Refinery by 100,000 barrels per day, bringing the total production capacity to 360,000 barrels per day from the initial capacity of 260,000 barrels per day.

Furthermore, Nicke revealed that building a project as large and complex as the RDMP Balikpapan is no easy feat. However, she emphasized that Pertamina, through PT Pertamina International Refinery and all involved teams, has proven that with full commitment and strong cooperation, they can overcome the challenges.

"We are committed to completing this project as it has been eagerly awaited by the entire Indonesian society. This project will provide significant added value to the Indonesian economy," Nicke said.

Once completed, RDMP Balikpapan will become the largest oil refinery in Indonesia. This is because the production capacity of the Balikpapan Refinery will exceed that of the Cilacap Refinery in Central Java, which is currently the largest refinery.

Currently, the Cilacap Refinery processes 345,000 barrels of oil per day. Meanwhile, the Balikpapan Refinery will be able to process 360,000 barrels of crude oil per day. In addition to increasing oil processing capacity, there will be additional production of petrochemical products of up to 225,000 tons per year.

The RDMP Balikpapan project involves 5,203 pieces of equipment. The total weight of this equipment reaches 110,000 tons, equivalent to 4.5 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, which weighs 24,600 tons.

One of the heaviest units in this project is the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC). Weighing 1,099 tons, this equipment is a unit that can increase refinery profitability by processing residues into higher-value products.

The weight of the RFCC is equivalent to 12 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. One Boeing 737-800 aircraft weighs 79 tons. Additionally, there are electrical cables with a length of up to 5,040 kilometers. If laid out, the length of these cables is equivalent to the distance between Jakarta and Seoul, South Korea. The estimated distance between Jakarta and Seoul is 5,000 kilometers.

The tallest unit in the Balikpapan Refinery is the propylene splitter, reaching 110 meters. Thus, the height of the propylene splitter in the RDMP Balikpapan project is equivalent to a 30-story building.

The concrete volume in this project reaches 307,670 cubic meters, equivalent to twice the volume of concrete in the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. The recorded volume of concrete in the Petronas Towers is 150,000 cubic meters.

Furthermore, the weight of the steel structure is 74,723 tons, equivalent to 7 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower steel, which is 10,100 tons. The length of welding pipes is 4,986,421 diameter-inch, or 11 times the length of welding in the Bontang LNG project, which is 450,000 diameter-inch. (*)