Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel resumed upstream operations at the Kimitsu district of its East Nippon Works on September 24, following a precautionary shutdown ahead of Typhoon No. 25, according to local media reports. Downstream facilities are scheduled to restart gradually, although full restoration is expected to take further time.
The company had suspended all facilities at the Chiba Prefecture site on September 21 before heavy rainfall associated with the typhoon caused flooding in parts of the complex.
According to Nippon Steel, Kimitsu has two blast furnaces and an annual crude steel production capacity of approximately eight million mt, producing flat steel, plate, wire rod and steel pipes. Around half of its shipments serve the domestic market, with the remainder exported.
