This Is The Reason For The Delay Of Pertamina's Balikpapan RDMP Refinery

JAKARTA - The construction of the Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) project in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan turned out to be experiencing delays. This was revealed by Member of Commission VI Khilmi in the Commission VI Hearing Meeting (RDP) of the DPR RI with Pertamina.

Khilmi appreciates Pertamina's attitude in taking action against contractors who are not completing the refinery project in East Kalimantan.

"I salute this to Pertamina who dares to fight against contractors who do not want to solve this problem. Hyundai, sir? Hyundai from Korea?" said Khilmi quoted on Saturday, November 22.

The construction of the Balikpapan RDMP refinery uses the Joint Operation (JO) scheme with several companies including Hyundai, Industrial Engineering, SK Engineering and PP

"Joint operation is one of Hyundai," said Pertamina President Director Simon Aloysius Mantiri, answering Khilmi's question.

Khilmi added that the Balikpapan RDMP construction project had even gone through an audit by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

"So we are Pertamina's courage for Hyundai to be responsible that this loss problem is not Pertamina's result. She has been audited by BPKP that this has not made a mistake at Pertamina," said Khilmi.

Based on the results of the audit, it was revealed that the delay in this project was purely due to a wrong contractor who was unable to complete the work on time.

"So we have to see that this Pertamina is not able to solve the RDMP problem in Balikpapan. But the contractors who are not able to solve it quickly because there is this problem," said Khilmi.

For information, the Balikpapan RDMP project is targeted to be completed and start operating in mid-December in 2025. This project is expected to quickly operate to meet 22 to 25 percent of the national fuel needs.

Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Yuliot said that currently there is only a small amount left in the details of the project, so it doesn't take long to complete it.

"So, for facilities readiness, there is still a improvement of around 1-2 percent which we hope will be completed in the next few days 100 percent so that it is ready to be inaugurated. The 1.5 percent is only the details of the work," said Yuliot during a visit on Wednesday, November 19.

The Balikpapan Refinery RDMP project is one of the National Strategic Projects (PSN), where this project cost an investment of 7.4 billion US dollars or equivalent to Rp126 trillion. This project is one of the largest investments made by SOEs in one activity point to reduce imports of fuel oil (BBM).

"One of the facilities here will provide energy, with this facility, we fully support the President's vision, namely energy security and also how this energy resilience will support national resilience as a whole because all economic activities are impossible without energy availability," said Yuliot.