REFINERY NEWS: Japan ENEOS' Sendai, Chiba refineries shut after Fukushima earthquake

Refineries: Sendai in northeast; Negishi, Kawasaki and Chiba in Tokyo Bay, Japan

Owner: ENEOS for Sendai, Negishi, Kawasaki; ENEOS 51%, PetroChina International 49% for Chiba

Overall capacities: 145,000 b/d at Sendai, 129,000 b/d at Chiba, 270,000 b/d at Negishi, 247,000 b/d at Kawasaki

Units affected: All units at Sendai, Chiba; unspecified units at Negishi, Kawasaki

Units capacity: N/A

Duration: Shut following late March 16 earthquake offshore Fukushima

Notes: Japan's largest refiner ENEOS' 145,000 b/d Sendai refinery in the northeast and 129,000 b/d Chiba refinery in Tokyo Bay were shutdown in the wake of a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that rocked offshore Fukushima in the northeast late March 16, a company spokesperson said March 17.

There was an automatic shutdown across the refining units at the Sendai plant due to the tremors, while all the refining units at the Chiba plant were shut as a result of power outages, the spokesperson said.

The refiner has now restarted the Negishi refining units that were shut due to the power outage, but unspecified units at its Kawasaki refinery remain shut, the spokesperson added.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake -- which was revised higher from 7.3 initially -- hit at a depth of 57 km -- which was revised lower from 60 km -- offshore Fukushima at 11:36 pm local time (1436 GMT) on March 16, with tsunami warnings issued initially in the northeast, but the alerts have been lifted, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Source: Company spokesperson, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry