Pertamina Commences Balongan Refinery Buffer Zone Groundbreaking

Indramayu, August 26, 2024 – Pertamina continues to enhance safety and security in refinery areas by commencing the Groundbreaking of the Buffer Zone at the Balongan Refinery. This event marks a significant milestone in Pertamina’s commitment to workplace safety, led directly by the President Director of Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, and attended by the Regent of Indramayu, Nina Agustina.

This groundbreaking marks the start of the Sukaurip-Sujareja road widening, which is part of the buffer zone at the Balongan Refinery implementation. This program is part of efforts to protect the surrounding communities and environment.

According to Nicke Widyawati, President Director of Pertamina, the company has a critical role in ensuring national energy resilience by producing quality fuel products. However, at the same time, it must also prioritize the community’s safety.

"This groundbreaking event is the first phase. The next phase will focus on Block Kosambi. With this buffer zone implementation, Pertamina personnel at the Balongan Refinery can carry out their duties more effectively and confidently, as technical and HSSE aspects have been fully implemented. Refinery productivity will also be optimized, resulting in greater benefits for the nation and the country," Nicke stated in her speech.

Nicke emphasized that the Buffer Zone establishment in Balongan, Indramayu, is an obligation. The enhancement of the Balongan Refinery buffer zone will go through several phases. One key aspect is rerouting the Balongan highway, which falls within a priority zone, to Sukaurip Road.

The rerouting will also ensure that the Sukaurip Road, as the main/protocol road, is widened from 4.5–5.5 meters to 7.2–8 meters for 2.4 kilometers. The road widening is expected to positively impact the surrounding communities, from smoother traffic flow to improved economic growth and productivity.

Nicke also expressed her gratitude for the support given by the Regent of Indramayu and the Indramayu Regency Leadership Communication Forum in the buffer zone enhancement stages for the Balongan refinery.

"This is the first time we have received full support from the local government for this buffer zone. Cooperation between state-owned enterprises and local governments is essential, and I would like to thank the community for their support," Nicke added.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Indramayu, Nina Agustina, expressed her support for the Sukaurip-Sukareja road widening groundbreaking as the first phase of the buffer zone implementation at the Balongan Refinery.

"The Indramayu Regency Government warmly welcomes the Sukaurip-Sukareja road widening groundbreaking as part of the first phase of the buffer zone implementation at Pertamina's Balongan Refinery. This is a responsibility that must be fulfilled in carrying out our commitment to prioritizing the community's interests, which will ultimately improve the welfare of the people of Indramayu," said Nina.

Nina further expressed hope that the buffer zone implementation in Indramayu would serve as an example for other companies in Indonesia, especially those with potential hazards to surrounding communities.

Diandoro Arifian, the VP of HSSE of PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional and Coordinator of the Buffer Zone PMO, explained that the buffer zone was designed to ensure the community’s and the surrounding environment’s safety and security.

"This buffer zone is designed to minimize risks of a fire or explosion by expanding the buffer zone to at least 50 meters from the outer operational fence. The widening of the Sukaurip-Sukaraja replacement road is part of the safety enhancement efforts and is targeted for completion by the end of 2024," Diandoro explained.

Fadjar Djoko Santoso, the VP of Corporate Communication of Pertamina, added that the first phase of the buffer zone implementation at the Balongan Refinery is primarily aimed at providing better service to the community.

"In the future, with this buffer zone development, we hope to not only improve safety but also provide the best service and wide-ranging benefits to the communities around the refinery," Fadjar said.

KPI (Kilang Pertamina Internasional) is a subsidiary of Pertamina that operates primarily in oil and petrochemical processing following ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) principles. KPI is also registered with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and is committed to the Ten Universal Principles of the UNGC in its operational strategy as part of its ESG implementation. KPI will continue to operate professionally to realize its vision of becoming a world-class environmentally-conscious oil and petrochemical refining company with a strong sense of social responsibility and good corporate governance.