JAPAN DISASTER: Kashima Vinyl Chloride Monomer restarts plant

23 May 2011 12:31  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS)--Kashima Vinyl Chloride Monomer on 21 May restarted its 600,000 tonne/year vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plant in Kashima, in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture, after it was shut down in the wake of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, a source from parent company Shin-Etsu Chemical said on Monday.

“It was shut for two months, so we are gradually ramping up [the plant’s operating rate],” the source said in Japanese.

However, the source did not provide any further details on the plant’s current operating rate.

The source also said that Shin-Etsu Chemical expects to achieve “full-scale operations” at its 550,000 tonne/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in late May.

“Its operating rate is still very low because the supply of VCM [from Kashima Vinyl Chloride Monomer] has not begun and we don’t have feedstock on hand yet. In about a week, we hope to start full-scale operations,” the source said.

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By: Tomomi Yokomura
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