Pertamina cuts Balongan refinery output by 30%

State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina cut the output of its Balongan refinery in West Java by around 30 percent starting Thursday due to a "technical problem".

"The 30 percent output cut was from the refinery's Residue Fluid Catalyst Cracking (RFCC) unit,? Pertamina?s spokesman Wisnuntoro said on Friday.

He said it would take one week to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, Pertamina?s deputy marketing Hanung Budya said Pertamina will increase fuels import this month to offset the decline in the output of the refinery, but he did not mention the volume.

Balongan has a capacity of processing 125,000 BPD of crude oil and produces fuels such as Pertamax Plus, Pertamina Dex, unleaded gasoline and LPG. The refinery accounts for about 10 percent of Pertamina's refining capacity. It supplies fuel to Jakarta and West Java province (bernard)