Balongan oil refinery

Balongan Refinery

RU VI Balongan (2016)
Refinery details
Owner	Pertamina (PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional)
Commissioned	1994 (1994)

Balongan Refinery (Indonesian: Kilang Minyak Balongan), also known as Refinery Unit VI (RU VI), is an oil refinery located in Balongan, Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia.

History

The refinery was constructed in the early 1990s and began operations in 1994 as Refinery Unit VI under Pertamina’s refinery network. Originally designed with a processing capacity of about 125,000 barrels per day (bpd), the refinery serves domestic fuel markets and supplies a mix of refined petroleum products. ^[1]

Accidents

A major explosion and fire occurred on 29 March 2021 in a storage tank area of the refinery ^[2] , triggering local evacuations ^[3] and an emergency shutdown of operations while investigations proceeded; the event drew international media coverage ^[4] and prompted calls for independent inquiries into safety practices. Pertamina and subsequent external investigators identified lightning as a probable triggering factor for the explosion, and the company reported restarting operations following firefighting and restoration activities. ^[5]

References

1. "INDONESIAN REFINERY ADVANCES". Oil & Gas Journal. 1990-10-15. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
2. "Indonesia fire: Massive blaze erupts at oil refinery". BBC . 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
3. Listiyorini, Eko; Bloomberg. "Fire at Indonesia's Balongan oil refinery prompts evacuations". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
4. "Massive fire engulfs Indonesian oil refinery after explosion". The Guardian . 2021-03-29. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-10-18.
5. "Indonesia's Pertamina puts out fire in Balongan refinery storage units". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2025-10-18.