Pertamina shuts down Balongan refinery for 10 days
By: Hans Bodega
Thursday, June 22 2000 - 04:15 AM WIB
State oil and gas company Pertamina said on Thursday it shut down its Balongan refinery in West Java on Tuesday for ten days of maintenance.
"There were some problems that made the refinery was unable to operate at full capacity," Pertamina's spokesman Toto Suparto said.
"It's only a minor maintenance work," he added.
Toto noted however that the shutdown would not cause fuel supply problems to Jakarta and its neighboring areas as Pertamina had prepared enough fuel stock.
The Balongan refinery, which has the processing capacity of 125,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is the main supplier of fuel to Jakarta and its neighboring areas.
The refinery has been several times shut down in the past due to technical problems, which analysts attributed to the poor quality equipment used for its construction.
The Attorney General's office is investigating the alleged corruption committed by former Pertamina's officials and former President Soeharto's family members in during the preparation and development of the project. (*)