MOSCOW (MRC) -- The fire, which broke out at one of Pertamina’s fuel storage tanks in the Cilacap refinery and petrochemical complex on 13 November 2021, did not affect operations at any other plants at the same complex, according to CommoPlast with reference to the company's statement.
In fact, all other production lines were operating normally during the incident.
The fire was completely extinguished after about 12 hours.
“We are in mid of the investigation on the causes of the fire, but there is no need for any panic buying because the fuel stocks are very safe,” said, Chief Executive of Pertamina’s refinery and petrochemical said.
In addition, the incident does not affect propylene supply to Polytama’s PP plant at difference location RU VI Indramayu-Balongan.
As MRC reported earlier, the fire started around 7:20 p.m. (1220 GMT) on Saturday at a fuel storage unit. Amateur videos broadcast by local media showed a large blaze colouring the sky orange.
Cilacap is one of Pertamina’s biggest refining facilities and supplies around 34% of Indonesia’s fuel demand, Pertamina said on its website.
As MRC informed before, PT Pertamina resumed operations at its sole polypropylene (PP) plant in Plaju, South Sumatera in mid-October, 2021, after a scheduled maintenance. The outage at the company's 47,000 mt/year of PP plant began on 16 September and was to last for about 17 days. Thus, this plant was initially scheduled to resume operations on 3 October, 2021.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.
Pertamina is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin (established 1961) and Permina (established 1957). Pertamina is the world's largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
MRC