Tokyo — Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan said Wednesday it now expects to restart its earthquake-hit 150,000 b/d crude distillation unit at the Hokkaido refinery after mid-October.
Idemitsu's Hokkaido refinery -- the only refinery on the northern Japanese island -- following an automatic shutdown as a result of the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked Hokkaido on September 6.
Hokkaido is Japan's largest demand center for kerosene, with heating demand likely to pick up and peak in the coming months for winter.
For fiscal year 2017-18 (April-March), Hokkaido accounted for roughly 17% of the total ex-refinery/oil terminal kerosene shipments of around 291,864 b/d in Japan, according to the Petroleum Association of Japan data.
An Idemitsu spokesman said Tuesday it was transferring gasoline, kerosene and gasoil to the Hokkaido refinery from its 190,000 b/d Chiba refinery in Tokyo Bay and 160,000 b/d Aichi refinery in central Japan, as well as getting supplies from its alliance partner Showa Shell, to ensure its supplies.
Idemitsu is also importing some unspecified products from its leased storage in South Korea to its Hokkaido refinery, the spokesman said, without elaborating.
The Idemitsu spokesman also said Tuesday that the refiner was trimming its exports of products to ensure domestic supplies amid uncertainty over the Hokkaido refinery restart.
