Tosoh to Restart Ethylene Facility at End-April

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Tosoh Corp. plans to restart its ethylene production facility in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, at the end of this month, following suspension for routine maintenance work, it was learned Friday. The resumption, initially scheduled for April 20, has been postponed due to uncertainty over the procurement of naphtha, a crude oil-based material for ethylene, amid the ongoing Middle East crisis. The decision on the restart was made as Tosoh is now likely to be able to secure naphtha from a region other than the Middle East, a company official said. In the face of the Middle East tensions, Japanese chemical manufacturers are diversifying naphtha sources in order to maintain production or resume operations after regular checkups at their ethylene facilities. An official of Sumitomo Chemical Co. said that an ethylene facility in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, will be reactivated as early as this week. The facility is jointly operated by the company and Maruzen Petrochemical Co., a subsidiary of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co. Meanwhile, an official of Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. said an ethylene facility jointly operated with Asahi Kasei Corp. in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, would be able to continue operating stably through mid-June if an ongoing cut in production remains in place. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]