Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical has said that it will take at least two months to restart operations at two naphtha crackers at its Kashima plant, which was affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country earlier this month.
All operations have been halted at the plant, which is still without electricity, according to Reuters.
No external damage has been reported at the crackers, however the company has not checked inside the plant due to the loss of electricity.
The shutdown could affect several firms at the Kashima petrochemical complex, including Shin-Etsu Chemical, the leading maker of silicon wafers.
The company is planning supply to the petrochemical complex from its Mizushima plant, domestic cracker operators or imports.
The two crackers at the Kashima plant have the capacity to produce 375,000t and 453,000 tonnes ethylene a year respectively, while the Mizushima plant has a capacity of 450,000t of ethylene per year.
