Nippon starts up Sendai plant

Japan’s Nippon Petroleum Refining Co. will start operating a new plant to produce petrochemicals in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, starting November. The company held the inauguration ceremony for the new plant, which is located at the companys oil refinery in Sendai, on September 20. The company invested 60 billion yen (US$510.8 million) on the plant, which will produce 400,000 tons of xylene and 100,000 tons of benzene. The plant will also produce 100,000 tons of propylene. (September 24, 2007)