News

About 1:20 p.m. on February 23, 2018, while boring work was being done at Shin-Etsu Chemical’s Naoetsu Plant (located in Joetsu City in Niigata Prefecture) from under the ground nature-derived gas was observed spurting out.

Immediately, the in-house Fire Brigade System at the Naoetsu Plant began a water-discharging operation to prevent any possibility of ignition, and at the same time we contacted the local Fire Department to inform them of the situation.

According to the Fire Department’s judgment, although flammable gas was detected at the site inside the building where the eruption occurred, no flammable gas was detected outside of the building. For this reason, at this time, ordinary operation is continuing at the Naoetsu Plant.

The concentration level of the gas was low, and it was judged that there was no risk of ignition occurring; however, for the time being, we will continue conducting the water-discharging operation.

No injuries to any persons or damage to the manufacturing facilities occurred as a result of this incident.
We would like to deeply apologize to all the nearby local residents and other concerned persons for causing them any anxieties and inconveniences.

We will continue to notify you if and when any new information becomes available.