Japan's TEPCO, Sanyo check plants for quake damage

Tokyo, July 17: A strong earthquake hit factories and power plants over a broad area in northwest Japan, forcing companies to shut down production for repairs and safety inspections.

Following is a summary as this afternoon of factories affected by the 6.8 magnitude quake in Niigata prefecture: Tokyo Electric Power Co shut down four major generators at the world's biggest nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki city, near the focus of the quake, where the earthquake caused a fire in one unit and a small leakage of radioactive water.

A spokesman said today that the timing to resume operations of the generators had not yet been determined and the company was in the middle of assessing the damage.

Japan's trade minister also told TEPCO today that it must delay restarting the nuclear power plant until its safety can be confirmed.

Sanyo Electric Co. said it aimed to resume operations at its chip factory in Ojiya city as early today. The electronics company had stopped production lines and evacuated employees at the chipmaking facility after the quake but found no major damage to its equipment, according to a spokesman. The impact of the quake on the delivery schedule would be negligible, he said.

The company hasn't resumed the factory's operations as of 1130 hrs IST.

Fuji Xerox, a unit of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., said it halted production lines at a Kashiwazaki plant yesterday to assess damage from the quake.

A company spokesman today said there was no major damage to equipment at the facility, which mainly assembles printers, but parts of the building's ceiling were damaged.

The facility still has no electricity and the company is inspecting the situation.

Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. (JAPEX) said it has closed one of its gas pipes in Kashiwazaki to check for a possible leak caused by the quake, according to a spokesman.

The company located late yesterday an oil leak in a pipeline through Nagaoka city, and took appropriate steps to clean it up and prevent further damage.

Inpex Holdings Inc. (INPEX), another oil and gas developer, said it temporarily stopped its natural gas plant to confirm safety and found no damage, a spokesman said. The safety of the pipeline network has been confirmed, and it is for the most part back in operation, he said.

Mobile phone connection is largely back to normal in quake hit areas this afternoon with NTT DoCoMo Inc, KDDI Corp and Softbank Corp. conducting repairs on base stations and inspecting for damage to transmission lines.

DoCoMo and Softbank spokesmen said several of their base stations are still down in Kashiwazaki due to power shortage, which could interrupt some calls and data access in the area.

Advanex Inc. said it halted lines at its Kashiwazaki factory after the quake, and plans for resuming operations have not been finalised. A spokesman said the company is inspecting the equipment, but the electronics parts plant still has no water and gas.

Riken Corp, one of Japan's three major piston ring makers, said its auto parts factory in Kashiwazaki was still on hold after the quake damaged equipment and injured some employees.

The facility, which is responsible for all of Riken's domestic piston ring output and also some engine part production, may not be able to resume production soon.

Riken, which supplies parts to companies such as Honda Motor Co Ltd and Toyota Motor Corp, is continuing to check on its buildings and equipment after yesterday's quake damaged part of a warehouse and toppled some equipment. It expects the checks to be completed later in the day, a company spokesman said.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said its three chip factories in Toyama and Niigata prefectures were little affected as they are located some distance from the quake. The company said it had halted production lines at the Niigata facility purely for inspection, but all three plants are currently operating.

REUTERS

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