Japan January caustic soda production falls 0.7%

05 March 2008 09:44  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS news)--Japan’s production of caustic soda declined 0.7% year on year to 402,530 tonnes in January, a spokesman from a local industry association said on Wednesday.

 

The fall was the result of a fire at Mitsubishi Chemical’s Kashima cracker which hit the output of caustic soda, said the Soda Industry Association spokesman.

 

Meanwhile, Japan’s exports of caustic soda in January increased 27.8% to 59,119 tonnes, said the association.

 

It was possible caustic soda exports to Australia would increase in the future because producers there were expected to increase capacities of alumina, a downstream product of caustic soda and a feedstock of aluminum, said the spokesman but added domestic demand was robust. 

  

Japan’s production of soda ash in January increased 6.1% to 38,372 tonnes year on year, while exports totalled 315 tonnes, seven times higher than the year-ago period. 

 

The country produced 63,568 tonnes of synthetic hydrochloric acid in the month, down 0.7% from the previous year, the association said.    

By: Tomomi Yokomura
+65 6780 4359

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