Eastern Japan's Power, Refining Facilities Slowed by Earthquake

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Last week's 7.4-magnitude earthquake on the eastern coast of Japan was nowhere near as deadly as 2011's 9.0-magnitude catastrophe that killed nearly 20,000 people and caused the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Nonetheless, the 2022 earthquake resulted in four deaths and the closures of several major factories and industrial facilities, some of which play major roles in supplying the global technology sector. Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Outage Database is keeping tabs on these developments.

Japan's biggest refiner, ENEOS Corporation (Tokyo), has shut down all major units at its 145,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) Sendai Refinery in Sendai, Miyagi, at least through April 4. These include the 12,500-BBL/d gas oil hydrotreater; the 52,000-BBL/d residual hydrotreater; the 36,000-BBL/d continuous catalytic reformer (CCR); and many others. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for ongoing outages at the Sendai Refinery.

Also affected was the Sendai Power Station, a 1,046-megawatt (MW) coal-fired plant that was forced to turn off a 112-MW steam turbine, and the Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station, a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired plant that shuttered its 523-MW combined-cycle, single-shaft unit. Both units are expected to return to service in the coming days. Subscribers can read detailed outage reports on the steam turbine and combined-cycle units.

In addition to the damage incurred at energy-related facilities, eastern Japan's electronics and automotive producers are facing significant setbacks to their output following the earthquake. The global disruptions to the supply chain, particularly those facing the semiconductor chip market, likely will worsen as a result. For more information, see March 17, 2022, article - Japan's Earthquake Likely to Worsen Automotive, Electronics Supply.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.