RFCC RDMP Balikpapan Unit Also Dongkrak Propylene Production Up To 225 Tons Per Year

RDMP Balikpapan (Photo: KPI)

JAKARTA - Pertamina International Refinery (KPI) through the Balikpapan Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) project, Balikpapan Refinery will be able to produce up to 225 tons of propylene products per year.

"Before the Balikpapan RDMP project, the Balikpapan Refinery could not produce petrochemical products. Through this Balikpapan RDMP project, the Balikpapan Refinery will be able to produce petrochemical products in the form of propylene and sulfur," said Acting Corporate Secretary of KPI Milla Suciyani, Friday, December 5.

Milla explained that the number of petrochemical productions to be produced from the Balikpapan Refinery will reach around 283,000 tons per year. Propylene products are around 225 tons per year, and the rest are sulfur products.

This petrochemical product will be produced through the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCC), which is the main unit of the Balikpapan RDMP project.

"To strengthen the management of the province product inventory, KPI has also built 8 new soccer tanks, which are intended to store gas products," Milla explained.

Milla added that propylene is the main raw material in the plastic industry, textiles, and various other chemical products. With increasing domestic demand, propylene production is a crucial step in supporting national industrial resilience.

The propylene produced in the RFCC RDMP Balikpapan unit will later become raw material at the Polytama refinery in the Balongan area, Indramayu Regency, West Java.

The Polytama Project is run by PT Polytama Propindo, a company affiliated with KPI. This project focuses on the production of polypropylene (PP), one of the most widely used types of thermoplastic plastic in the world.

This plastic is widely used in food packaging, household appliances, automotive equipment, and construction. By producing propylene independently, Indonesia can reduce dependence on imports and strengthen the independence of the national industry.

"This additional production will certainly help reduce imports of petrochemical products, which are still quite large," Milla said.