Balongan refinery to undergo regular maintenance

State oil and gas company PT Pertamina said its Balongan refinery in Indramayu, West Java will again undergo a total repair for 1.5 months, starting October or November 2008.

Pertamina?s Processing Director Rukmi Hadihartini said that the refinery got a total overhaul every four years. "The total repair will probably be conducted in October or November,? she said.

According to Rukmi, all units of the refinery will stop producing high octane mogas components (HOMC).

Pertamina has halted liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production at the refinery since May 9 due to a technical problem at its residue catalytic cracking unit (RCC).It will take about 18 days to fix the problem.

Balongan has a capacity of processing 125,000 barrels per day of crude oil. The refinery accounts for about 10 percent of Pertamina's refining capacity. (godang)