Japanese refineries remain off line after earthquake

Japanese refiners are working to restore operations that were disrupted by the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the country on 13 February.

Eneos' 145,000 b/d Sendai refinery and some secondary units at its 270,000 b/d Negishi refinery are still closed following the earthquake, with no schedule for a restart. Petrochemical operations at the plants were not affected, the company said.

Idemitsu's 190,000 b/d Chiba refinery remains shut because of a power outage that followed the earthquake. The closure may not last for long, the company said today, without giving more details. The plant's ethylene unit is operating normally.

Fuji Oil restarted operations at its 143,000 b/d Sodegaura refinery in Chiba today, as expected.

Five crude distillation units with a combined capacity of 720,000 b/d are currently off line in Japan because of the earthquake, turnarounds, fire impact or unknown reason.

By Maiko Nakashima