Impact of Offshore Earthquake on Sumitomo Chemical
15 Mar '11
2 min read
Sumitomo Chemical's current status of operation is outlined below.
1. Status of Employees - The Company has confirmed that none its employees are injured or missing.
2. Impact on Workplaces
A. Chiba Works (Ichihara and Sodegaura cities, Chiba Prefecture)
At the ethylene plant, the main facility at the Chiba Works, operations continue while adjusting the load on the plant as necessary.
At most of the derivatives facilities, automatic shutdown systems were activated at the time of the earthquake and emergency shutdown procedures were undertaken. The production facilities sustained no major damage.
The shut-down production facilities are being brought back into operation sequentially as their safety is confirmed, and at this stage most of the production facilities have recommenced operations.
B. Misawa Works (Misawa city, Aomori Prefecture)
At the time of the earthquake, emergency shutdown procedures were undertaken for all facilities. The production facilities sustained no major damage.
Operations at the facilities were subsequently suspended because of interruption in the electrical power supply, but with resumption of electrical power, preparations are underway to recommence operations once the safety of the facilities has been confirmed.
C. Tsukuba Research Laboratory (Tsukuba city, Ibaraki Prefecture) The research facility sustained some minor damage but no major damage. All workplaces other than those mentioned above continue to operate as usual.
3. Financial Impact - The financial impact of this earthquake on the Company is not yet known, but any anticipated major impact will be promptly disclosed when determined.