Metals & Minerals
Metals and Minerals Sites Affected by Earthquake, Tsunami and Power Outages
Many metals and minerals facilities throughout eastern Japan have been disrupted or have experienced involuntary shutdown as a direct result of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. Others are currently being disrupted by rolling blackouts within the service area of Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated...
Released Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--Many metals and minerals facilities throughout eastern Japan have been disrupted or have experienced involuntary shutdown as a direct result of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. Others are currently being disrupted by rolling blackouts within the service area of Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo), or have no power due to the severe damage sustained within the service area of Tohoku Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9506) (Tokuden) (Sendai, Japan). All companies spoken to have been clear that first priorities lie with the status and wellbeing of their employees and their families.
Companies and locations affected by events on and following Friday, March 11, include the following:
- JFE Holdings Incorporated (TYO:5411) (Tokyo)
- Subsidiary JFE Bars and Shapes
- Sendai, Miyagi, facility undergoing safety checks
- Kashima, Ibaraki, facility will resume operations when power comes back online
- Subsidiary JFE Steel
- Chiba and Keihin facilities were both down, but resumed heating by Monday, March 14. Unsure when normal operations will be resumed.
- Subsidiary JFE Containers
- Experienced ground liquefaction at its Chiba facility. Currently investigating extent of the damage. Hopes to restart soon.
- Tohoku Steel Company Limited (TYO:5484) (Murata, Japan)
- Located near Sendai, Miyagi. Cannot make contact with this company.
- Nippon Steel Corporation (TYO:5401) (NSC) (Tokyo)
- Kamaishi, Iwate, works submerged. Dock has been destroyed. No news on restart.
- Kimitsu, Chiba, works offline, but in the process of restarting. All lines except rolling were operating as normal as of Monday, March 14.
- Muroran, Hokkaido, works downstream rolling mill stopped temporarily, but was back online as of Monday, March 14.
- Sumitomo Metal Industries Limited (TYO:5405) (Osaka, Japan)
- Kashima, Ibaraki, works blast furnace operations suspended. Experienced explosion at one coke gas holder.
- Nippon Steel and Sumikin Metal Products Company Limited (joint venture between NSC and Sumitomo Metal)
- Sendai, Miyagi, office and plant are flooded. No news of status. Investigation team has been dispatched.
- Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited (TYO:5706) (Tokyo)
- Hachinohe, Aomori, zinc graphite works is flooded. In the process of investigating equipment status, but believe most damage is related to electrical components.
- Pacific Metals Company Limited (TYO:5541) (Tokyo)
- Hachinohe, Aomori, works completely shut down. Damage to equipment, no power.
- Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (TYO:5711) (Tokyo)
- Iwaki, Fukushima, works shut down. Currently investigating the extent of the damage.
- Toho Zinc Company Limited (TYO:5707) (Tokyo)
- Iwaki, Fukushima, facility shut down. Currently investigating the extent of the damage. No water supply.
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