Singapore-based United Oil Co. and Repsol are proceeding with a previously announced plan to expand their joint venture lubricant plant in Indonesia, stating that the increased capacity will come onstream next year.
Repsol said the additional products made at the plant will be sold primarily in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Repsol, which is headquartered in Madrid as part of an effort to expand lubricants and other operations in a number of markets around the world. In 2019 it acquired a 40% stake in United through a cash infusion of undisclosed amount.
United already owned two blending plants in Singapore and Indonesia, and the companies said then that they planned to expand the latter facility, which is located in Cilegon – a major industrial city at the northeastern edge of Java Island.
The plant currently has capacity to make 80,000 metric tons of lubricants per year. Repsol said improvements are being made to the plant, but the companies did not provide details or state how much the capacity is being increased.
It also is unclear whether the project has been delayed or whether the companies always intended for the expansion to be completed in 2023.
The capacity of the blending plant in Singapore is 60,000 t/y.