$100m pipeline network

JAKARTA (JP): PT. Manggala Wibawa will build a $100 million pipeline network to speed up fuel distribution from state-owned oil company Pertamina's refinery in Balikpapan to Samarinda in East Kalimantan, Antara reported over the weekend.

The company's president, Arissetyanto Wibowo, said in Samarinda that construction would start in October and was expected to be completed in three years.

The company will also build two oil depots as part of the contract, Wibowo said.

The 139 pipeline network will span from Balikpapan through Muara Jawa-Sanga Sanga to Samarinda. Twenty-seven kilometers of the network will be under the sea.

"There are no major problems with land acquisition because the provincial administration supports the project," Wibowo said.

The company would employ mostly Indonesians, but some expatriates would be hired to help build the underwater facility, he said. (08)