Lotte Chemical Likely to Restart Naphtha Cracker Facility Within the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] Lotte Chemical has mostly completed repairs on the Naphtha Cracker (NCC) facility, which was shut down due to a fire accident in March. The company is accelerating accident recovery and business normalization with the goal of resuming operations within the year.

According to industry sources on the 19th, Lotte Chemical plans to bring back the NCC compression equipment, currently being repaired in Japan, around August. The equipment is being repaired by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, and final maintenance is reportedly underway.

Damage to the public caused by the NCC explosion is also currently being restored. A task force (TF) composed of employees from the Seoul headquarters and the Yeosu and Ulsan plants is assessing the damage situation in villages near the industrial complex, while top management, including CEO Kim Gyo-hyun, frequently visits the accident site to check on the recovery status.

A Lotte Chemical official stated, "Although the situation is fluid due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we plan to bring the equipment back around August, carry out repairs until about October, and aim to resume operations within the year." He added, "We will diligently carry out the remaining recovery schedule to ensure no inconvenience to residents returning to their daily lives," and said, "We will contribute to revitalizing the local economy through the prompt and safe resumption of operations at the Daesan plant."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.