PT KPB Successfully Operates Balikpapan RDMP Water and Air Treatment Facility, Strengthens Readiness for RFCC Operations

Sunday, 26 October 2025

PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan (KPB) continues to strengthen its readiness for the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) operation phase, one of the main units of the Balikpapan and Lawe-Lawe Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) National Strategic Project (PSN). A number of supporting facilities have now successfully passed the commissioning and start-up stages, marking the readiness of the refinery's utility systems to support the national energy transformation and strengthen the domestic supply of fuel and non-fuel products.

The utility units that have successfully passed the start-up phase include the seawater treatment system (Sea Water Reverse Osmosis / SWRO), brackish water treatment system (Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis / BWRO), water cooling facilities (Cooling Tower), and air generators (Instrument Air and Plant Air). All of these facilities play an important role in ensuring the supply of water and pressurized air to support the refinery's production and equipment control processes.

Vice President (VP) of Legal & Relations at PT KPB, Asep Sulaeman, said that the successful operation of these facilities is an important milestone towards the operational readiness of Pertamina's modern refinery. “Through these facilities, we ensure a stable supply of water and air so that all refinery processes operate efficiently and safely. This achievement demonstrates the readiness of the support system before entering the start-up phase of the main RFCC unit,” explained Asep.

The Sea Water Intake (SWI) facility, with three pump units with a total capacity of 22,500 cubic meters per hour (m³/hour), channels seawater to five SWRO units with a capacity of 4,115 m³/hour, which function to convert seawater into fresh water through a membrane-based filtration process.

In addition, the BWRO facility with a capacity of 3,500 m³/hour serves to convert brackish water into fresh water. These two facilities produce high-quality process water that is used for various refinery operational needs, including cooling systems and boiler feedwater.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology works by filtering water molecules through a very fine porous membrane that is capable of separating salts, heavy metals, and other fine particles. With this system, RDMP Balikpapan has become a modern refinery in Indonesia with the largest water treatment capacity capable of independently meeting the needs of process water and production support systems.

To maintain process temperature stability, the project is also equipped with two water cooling facilities (Cooling Towers) with seven cells with a total capacity of 29,999 m³/hour, and ten cells with a capacity of 47,800 m³/hour. The cooled water will be recirculated to various process units such as heat exchangers and compressors to maintain energy efficiency.

In addition to these water treatment facilities, there are air generation facilities, namely Instrument Air and Plant Air, which play a vital role in driving various automatic equipment, such as valves and control systems throughout the refinery area, to ensure that every process runs precisely and safely.

The entire utility facility operating system is controlled in an integrated manner with the Utilities Control Room (UCR) as the control center to monitor and control the performance of refinery support facilities in real time.

“The operation of this utility system is an important phase in the project's journey towards operation. We ensure that all systems are well integrated and ready to support the next commissioning and start-up stages,” added Asep.

PT KPB's success in integrating this utility system further solidifies the readiness of the Balikpapan RDMP to operate optimally and reliably. This achievement is also a strategic step for Pertamina in strengthening national energy security through sustainable refinery modernization.