Development was completed on the Gresik blending plant in November 2008, Pertamina said, after construction that began in April 2007. Purnomo Yusgiantoro, the Republic of Indonesias energy and mineral resources minister, was on hand Jan. 31 for the plants official opening.

In addition to meeting the needs of the domestic lubricants market – especially in eastern Indonesia – Pertamina in a statement said the Gresik plant will also support expansion of the companys reach in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia.

Pertamina also operates an 8,600 barrels per day API Group I base oil plant in Cilicap, in Indonesias West Java province. The SK-Pertamina joint venture began production last April at its new base oil plant in Dumai, Indonesia, with 7,250 b/d of Group III capacity.

According to the oil and gas company, the blending facility is fully automated, featuring in-line blending technology and automated batch blending. Pertamina said benefits of the automation include consistent product quality, production flexibility, more accurate volumes, ability to record product types automatically, and advantages in terms of high-speed production.