Pertamina to switch to gas as fuel of Dumai refinery next year

State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina will switch from oil fuel to cheaper gas as fuel for its crude refinery in Dumai, Riau Province, starting next year.

This was said by Ibrahim Hasyim, an official at downstream oil and gas authority BPH Migas, in a statement issued last week. He said that the switch into gas forms part of efforts by the company to increase efficiency in the downstream business.

The plan also comes as Pertamina is in the process of increase the capacity of the Dumai refinery from 120,000 bpd to 150,000 bpd.

The required gas supply will come among others from gas fields operated by PetroChina to be channeled via a planned 90-km dedicated pipeline from Duri to Dumai.

?The gas requirement in the initial phase will be 50 mmscfd, and will gradually increase to 150 mmscfd in line with the progress of the (expansion of the) refinery,? Ibrahim said.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak