Anticipating New Refinery Operation Tests, KPB Provides Early Education to Surrounding Residents

Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Balikpapan, August 12, 2026 — PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan (KPB) provided early information to the community surrounding the company ahead of the commissioning and operational test phases of the national strategic project, the Balikpapan Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP).

This was conducted for the community in four sub-districts directly bordering the refinery area, namely North Balikpapan, West Balikpapan, Central Balikpapan, and Balikpapan City.

This step was taken so that residents have a complete understanding before the refinery activities actually take place, thereby preventing panic or misunderstandings.

VP of Legal & Relations at PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan, Asep Sulaeman, stated that conveying this early information is important because most of the physical construction of the new refinery units has been completed.

During this phase, a number of activities typical of initial refinery operations could potentially be observed by residents. These include a temporary increase in the flare flame due to operational system adjustments, increased noise from pipe cleaning activities using high-pressure steam (steam blowing), and puffs of white steam from the water heating process for power generation and operational unit utilities.

He emphasized that the white steam is pure water vapor and not hazardous pollution, so residents are expected not to panic if they encounter it in the future.

The entire series of processes is strictly supervised with regular 24-hour air quality and noise monitoring conducted in collaboration with an accredited independent environmental laboratory.

Asep emphasized that the company's presence in this activity is part of its commitment to providing early safety and emergency management education to the community around the refinery.

As is known, PT KPB holds the mandate to manage the National Strategic Project (PSN) RDMP Balikpapan and Lawe-Lawe, a project aimed at expanding the capacity of the Balikpapan Refinery to reach 360,000 barrels per day, so that it will eventually become one of the largest oil refineries in Indonesia.

He explained that the main unit of this development is the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), which processes residual oil into high-quality fuel products such as Pertamax, Pertalite, Diesel, and Aviation Turbine Fuel (Avtur), as well as non-fuel products like LPG and petrochemical raw materials.

The Head of the North Balikpapan Sub-district (Camat), Umar Hadi, revealed that initial information like this is highly needed by residents whose locations directly border Pertamina's assets.

According to him, forums like this are important so that residents can understand the real situation on the ground first, rather than finding out through wild rumors spreading on social media.

The series of socialization events in each sub-district was also filled with question-and-answer sessions, as well as practical firefighting simulations using wet cloths and Light Fire Extinguishers (APAR). These directly involved Neighborhood Association (RT) heads and community leaders as preparation in case a real emergency occurs.

Furthermore, the introduction to the warning system is part of a series of community safety socialization and emergency education efforts held in collaboration with the sub-district and urban village (kelurahan) administrations, along with RT elements, Community Empowerment Institutions (LPM), Disaster Resilient Villages (Katana), and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Balikpapan City, targeting more than 500 residents living in the settlements around the refinery.