Balikpapan refinery unit to resume operation in March

State-owned oil, gas firm PT Pertamina will restart two processing units at its Balikpapan refinery that were closed last month because of a fire, Chrisna Damayanto, senior vice president of refining operations, said on Thursday.

Pertamina will restart one unit on March 1 and the other four months later, he said.

The fire occurred at the so-called Reboiler Hydro Cracker A Train A (HCC- A) unit on Jan. 16. Pertamina?s fuel output dropped by 27,500 barrels a day because of the shutdown, Basuki Trikora Putra, a spokesman, said Jan. 18.

He said the refinery?s other units are operating as normal.

The Balikpapan refinery has a total capacity of 260,000 barrels a day. (godang)