JAPAN DISASTER: Summary of Japan's petchem plants after quake

17 March 2011 22:59  [Source: ICIS news]

Numerous petrochemical plants and facilities in Japan are either shut or running at low rates following the deadly earthquake and devastating tsunami of 11 March.

Here is the latest status of some of the crackers and petrochemical plants as of Thursday.

 JAPAN DISASTER: Cabot plants safe, but infrastructure issues loom
Cabot's carbon black and tantalum plants in Japan incurred only minor damage, and all of its employees are safe, but problems with transportation and infrastructure could disrupt operations, the company said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: TonenGeneral Sekiyu restarts Kawasaki refinery
TonenGeneral Sekiyu fully restarted its 335,000 bbl/day Kawasaki refinery on Thursday and expects to reach full production by Friday, a company official said.

JAPAN DISASTER: Staff told to leave offices on blackout fears
Staff from several petrochemical-related firms have been told to vacate their offices on fears of a possible large-scale blackout in Tokyo and its surrounding areas on Thursday night, company sources told ICIS.

JAPAN DISASTER: Shin Dai-Ichi’s PVC plant at Chiba remains shut
Japan’s Shin Dai-Ichi Vinyl Corp’s 80,000 tonne/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Chiba, Japan, remains off line after it was shut down following the destructive earthquake on 11 March, sources close to the company said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Some petchems restart as nuclear crisis deepens
Some petrochemical plants in Japan restarted operations on Thursday, slowly ramping up production almost a week after the deadly quake and tsunami struck, but the country is beset by bigger problems - the Fukushima nuclear crisis and a consequent shortage of fuel and electricity.

Corrected: JAPAN DISASTER: Polyolefins capacity down
Japan’s polyolefins industry has incurred significant production losses in linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), as a number of plants remain shut in the wake of the 11 March earthquake, industry sources said.

JAPAN DISASTER: Nippon Unicar’s PE plants shut on safety concerns
Nippon Unicar’s polyethylene (PE) plants at Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture have been shut since 11 March for safety checks, sources close to the company said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: NPU runs Nanyo MDI units at full rate
Japan's Nippon Polyurethane (NPU) is running its methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (MDI) facility at Nanyo in Yamagata prefecture at full rate, unaffected by the 11 March earthquake, a company source said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: March olefin shipments cancelled on shut crackers
Olefins shipments from Japan this month have been cancelled as some naphtha crackers in the country remain shut about a week after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the northern part of the country, market sources said on Thursday.#

JAPAN DISASTER: Du Pont-Mitsui Polychemicals restarts PE units
Du Pont-Mitsui Polychemicals has been running its low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear LDPE plants at Chiba at full capacity since it restarted the plants on 16 March after a brief shutdown, a company source said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Kyokuto Petroleum resumes ops at Chiba refinery
Kyokuto Petroleum Industries (KPI) has restarted its 175,000 bbl/day Chiba refinery, which was shut down by an earthquake in the northeast of the country on 11 March, a company official said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Mitsui ramps up production at Chiba cracker
Japanese producer Mitsui Chemicals has increased the operating rate at its 617,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in Chiba to close to 100% after reducing output due to 11 March earthquake and tsunami, a company source said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Tosoh concerned about additive supply
Tosoh Corp’s polyethylene plants at Yamaguchi and Yokkaichi are not affected by the 11 March earthquake and are running “normally”, a source at the Japanese producer said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Keiyo Polyethylene has sufficent HDPE stocks
Keiyo Polyethylene has no plans to buy spot high density polyethylene (HDPE) from the domestic or overseas market even though its 63,000 tonne/year plant at Chiba, Japan, remains shut, a source at Maruzen Petrochemical said on Thursday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Mexichem says Japan refrigerants plant still up
A Mexichem plant in Japan is still in operation despite incurring minimal damages during the 11 March earthquake, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Wacker to restart silicones plant over weekend
Wacker Chemie expects to restart its silicones compounding facility outside of Tokyo over the weekend and resume operations next week, board member Wilhelm Sittenthaler said on Wednesday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Kashima Chemical shuts two ECH units
Japan’s Kashima Chemical has shut its two epichlorohydrin (ECH) units at Kashima, with a total capacity of 52,000 tonnes/year, following the devastating earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March.

JAPAN DISASTER: Sanyo Chem’s polyols units running at high rates
Japan’s Sanyo Chemical Industries is operating its local polyether polyols plants at high rates and has not reported any damage to the units from the 11 March earthquake.

JAPAN DISASTER: JSR Corp stops rubber production at Kashima
Japanese synthetic rubber producer, JSR Corp, has stopped production at its Kashima plant while continuing normal operations at its Chiba plant.

JAPAN DISASTER: Major local auto-makers extend production halt
Japan's major car manufacturers have halted domestic production for safety reasons in the wake of the deadly quake and tsunami on 11 March, as some assess damage wrought at selected manufacturing sites.

JAPAN DISASTER: Mitsui Chemicals running urea, melamine units
Japanese producer Mitsui Chemicals’ urea and melamine plants at Takaishi in Osaka prefecture are running at normal rates, unaffected by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on Friday.

JAPAN DISASTER: Asahi Kasei's ACN plants undamaged, ops normal
Asahi Kasei’s acrylonitrile (ACN) plants in Kawasaki and Mizushima are undamaged and are running normally despite the massive quake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on 11 March.

JAPAN DISASTER: Zeon may reduce synthetic rubber production
Japan’s Zeon Corp may cut operating rates at its synthetic rubber plants as power supply is limited and feedstock supply has been disrupted in the aftermath of the earthquake.

JAPAN DISASTER: JX Nippon Oil's C3 units affected by quake
Japan's JX Nippon Oil & Energy confirmed on Wednesday that its propylene facilities in Sendai and Kawasaki have been affected by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.

JAPAN DISASTER: Japan Polyethylene’s PE plants shut at two sites
Japan Polyethylene’s polyethylene (PE) plants at Kashima and Kawasaki remain shut in the wake of the 11 March earthquake

JAPAN DISASTER: Sumitomo Chemical runs Chiba PP, PE plants at 100%
Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical is running its polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plants in Chiba at 100% capacity after restarting them on 13 March.

JAPAN DISASTER: AGC shuts Chiba, Kashima caustic soda units
Japan’s Asahi Glass Co (AGC) has shut its caustic soda plants at Chiba and Kashima after they were damaged in the massive earthquake on 11 March.

JAPAN DISASTER: Japan Polypropylene’s Kawasaki PP plants shut
Japan Polypropylene’s polypropylene (PP) plants at Kawasaki with a combined capacity of 227,000 tonnes/year remain shut in the wake of the 11 March earthquake.

JAPAN DISASTER: Dow, DuPont, close two sites
US-based producers Dow Chemical and DuPont have shut down two facilities in Japan, although their other plants are still operating, the companies said on Tuesday.

JAPAN DISASTER: BASF curbs production, closes plants
BASF has curbed production at some of its sites in Japan and closed down others following last week’s earthquake and tsunami, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Nippon Nyukazai halts output at butyl glycol plant after quake
Japan’s Nippon Nyukazai has halted production at its recently started 30,000 tonne/year butyl glycol ether (BGE) plant in Kashima, Ibaraki prefecture, following the massive earthquake on 11 March, a source close to the company said on Tuesday.

Japan's Asahi Glass shuts Kashima PO, MPG, polyether polyols
Japan’s Asahi Glass Co (AGC) has shut its propylene oxide (PO), monopropylene glycol (MPG) and polyether polyols plants in Kashima after the 11 March earthquake, sources close to the company said.

Japan Mitsui Chem's TDI unit in Kashima remains shut after quake
Japan's Mitsui Chemicals has kept its 120,000 tonne/year toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) facility in Kashima shut following the massive earthquake that hit the country’s northeast on 11 March, a company source said on Tuesday.

Japan's Sumitomo Chem may shut capro line on feedstock shortage
Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical might shut down one of its two caprolactam lines in Ehime prefecture before the end of the week because of a feedstock shortage, resulting from a string of cracker shutdowns in the region, a source close to the company said on Tuesday.

Japan’s Toray might lower capro plant operating rates – sources
Japan-based Toray Industries’ 100,000 tonne/year caprolactam (capro) line in Tokai, Oichi prefecture might face a reduction in operating rates due to a lack of feedstock cyclohexane (CX) in the wake of the major earthquake that hit the country last week, sources close to the company said on Tuesday.

Cosmo Oil’s 220,000 bbl/day Chiba refinery still in flames
Cosmo Oil's 220,000 bbl/day refinery in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, remained in flames on Tuesday afternoon, four days after Japan’s massive quake, a company source said.

Sakai Chemical’s TiO2 plant damaged in quake, remains shut
Japan’s Sakai Chemical Industry has kept its 60,000 tonne/year titanium dioxide (TiO2) plant at Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture shut after it was damaged in the devastating earthquake on 11 March, a source close to the company said on Tuesday.

Japan's Sumitomo Chemical runs Chiba benzene plant at 85-90%
Sumitomo Chemical has been running its 150,000 tonne/year benzene plant at Chiba at 85-90% capacity since 11 March when pygas supply from its upstream cracker was reduced, a company source said on Tuesday.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical keeps Kurosaki BPA running
Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical is keeping its 120,000 tonne/year bisphenol-A (BPA) plant at Kurosaki running despite an 9.0-magnitude quake that hit Japan on 11 March, a company source said on Tuesday.

Taiyo Vinyl’s 100,000 tonne/year PVC plant at Chiba remains shut
Taiyo Vinyl Corp's 100,000 tonne/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Chiba in Japan remains off line after it was shut down following the massive earthquake on 11 March, a company source said on Tuesday.

Mitsubishi Chemical’s Kashima benzene, cumene plants still down
Mitsubishi Chemical's 420,000 tonne/year benzene plant and downstream 300,000 tonne/year cumene unit at Kashima in Japan have been shut since 11 March when the massive earthquake struck.

Japan's Idemitsu Kosan benzene plants ops normal despite quake
Idemitsu Kosan’s benzene plants at Chiba and Tokuyama in Japan are not affected by the 11 March earthquake and are running normally.

Nippon Seiro's petroleum wax unit not affected by quake
Japan's Nippon Seiro is running its 90,000 tonne/year petroleum wax unit at Tokuyama in Yamaguchi province at normal rates, unscathed from the earthquake as the plant is located far from the epicentre.

Japan’s Sumitomo Chem’s adipic acid unit unaffected by quake
Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical is running its 5,000 tonne/year adipic acid (ADA) plant in Ehime prefecture normally as it was unaffected by earthquake and tsunami.

Japan's SunAllomer’s Kawasaki PP unit may remain shut longer
Japan’s Sun Allomer’s 67,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) unit at Kawasaki may remain shut even after maintenance at the site is completed on 22 March because its propylene supply was cut off after last week’s devastating earthquake.

Japan's Tonen General to resume operations at Kawasaki refinery
Japanese refiner Tonen General Sekiyu is in the process of resuming full operations at its Kawasaki refinery days after the earthquake

Japan’s JX Nippon Oil shuts Negishi base oils facility after quake
Japan’s JX Nippon Oil & Energy has taken off line its 220,000 tonne/year Group I base oils facility in Negishi, Kanagawa prefecture, following the shutdown at its refinery complex.

Japan's JX Nippon Oil shuts Kawasaki cracker on quake crisis
Japan’s JX Nippon Oil & Energy has left its 460,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker at Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture idle after the devastating earthquake on Friday.

Japan’s Mitsubishi shuts phenol/acetone unit following quake
Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Corp (MCC) has shut down its phenol/acetone plant in Kashima following the major earthquake which hit the country on 11 March.

Japan’s Mitsui Chem shuts Chiba phenol/acetone unit due to quake
Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals has shut its phenol/acetone plant in Chiba following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week.

Japan Polypropylene’s two PP plants remain shut after earthquake
Japan Polypropylene’s two polypropylene (PP) plants are still shut after a deadly earthquake and massive tsunami that ravaged the northeastern region of the country on 11 March.

Japan’s Keiyo Ethylene runs naphtha cracker at 70%
Japan’s Keiyo Ethylene is operating its 740,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker at Ichihara in Chiba prefecture at 70% in the wake of a devastating earthquake which hit the country on 11 March.

Japan’s Sumitomo runs Chiba cracker at 70% post-quake
Japanese producer Sumitomo Chemical is running its 415,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in Chiba at a reduced rate of 70% since a 9-magnitude quake struck Japan’s northeast coast last week.

Japan’s Maruzen Petrochemical shuts naphtha cracker in Chiba
Japan’s Maruzen Petrochemical has shut its 520,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker at Chiba since the deadly earthquake on 11 March.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical keeps Mizhushima cracker running
Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical is keeping its 500,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker running in Mizushima in despite the deadly earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March.

Japan’s Tosoh runs Yokkaichi cracker at 100%, plans turnaround
Japan’s Tosoh Corp is operating its 527,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture, at 100% and plans to shut the plant for a regular turnaround later this month.

Japan's Mitsui cuts op rate at Chiba cracker, polymer units running
Japanese producer Mitsui Chemicals has cut the operating rate at its 617,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in Chiba after a 9-magnitude quake struck Japan’s northeast coast last week.

Japan's Asahi Kasei adipic acid plant unaffected by quake
Asia’s largest adipic acid (ADA) producer, Asahi Kasei, is still running its 120,000 tonne/year plant at Nobeoka in Japan’s Miyazaki prefecture following a major earthquake.

Japan's Showa Denko cuts rate at cracker on partial turnaround
Japan’s Showa Denko (SDK) has reduced the operating rate at its 690,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker at Oita because of a partial turnaround.

Japan's Mitsui Chem runs Chiba BPA at full rates post-quake
Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals is running its 90,000 tonne/year bisphenol A (BPA) plant in Chiba prefecture at full rates post earthquake.

By: Staff Reporter
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