Japan's Nuclear, Oil Refining Plants Unaffected by Earthquake

By Shigeru Sato, Michio Nakayama and Yuji Okada

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Japan's nuclear power and oil refining facilities were unaffected by a strong earthquake that jolted Japan's northern Pacific coast.

Nippon Oil Corp. and Idemitsu Kosan Co., Japan's two largest oil refiners, each said they were operating their plants normally. Hokkaido Electric Power Co., a utility supplying power to the northernmost island of Hokkaido, said operation of its Tomari nuclear power station was unaffected.

Nippon Oil operates a 180,000 barrels-a-day refinery in Muroran City in Hokkaido, while Idemitsu Kosan has a 140,000 b/d refinery in Tomakomai City on the island. The Tomari power station, located in the village of Tomari in Hokkaido, houses two reactors, each of which can generate 579 megawatts of electricity.

To contact the reporters on this story: Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net.