23% capacity shut by Japan’s ethylene producers post-March 11

25-Mar-11

Japan’s ethylene producers have 23% of their capacity shut following the country’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami, as per Chemical Market Associates Inc. No ethylene capacity has been restarted since CMAI’s last report on March 18. Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp., Japan’s biggest ethylene maker, will take at least two months to resume operations at its Kashima plant because of damage to berths, utility infrastructure and roads. Two naphtha crackers at the Kashima facility are responsible for almost 11% of Japan’s ethylene capacity and 2.4% of capacity in northeast Asia. Other curtailments include 37% of Japan’s polyethylene plastic capacity and 46% of its PVC plastic capacity. About 27% propylene capacity and 35% polypropylene capacity remain shut. Shut benzene production capacity in Japan is at 25% and the amount of shut xylenes capacity to 22%. About 19% of Japan’s chlorine capacity remains closed.