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Okinoyama Coal Center, 24 Years Old, Receives 100 Millionth Ton of Coal

October 8, 2004

Okinoyama Coal Center, a coal storage facility belonging to Ube Industries Ltd. (President: Kazumasa Tsunemi) and located in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, celebrates the 24th anniversary of its founding on October 12. A shipment of coal from Australia aboard the Yomoshio-go includes the 100-millionth ton of coal the plant has received in its history.

This cumulative total represents the amount of coal received since October 1980 when the plant began receiving coal from Australia's Hunter Valley. Okinoyama is the first of the company's domestic coal centers to reach this milestone.

The Okinoyama Coal Center's imports now represent roughly double the historical total output of the coal mines affiliated with Ube Industries in the Ube area. The Okinoyama and Higashimizome mines produced a total of about 58 million tons of coal from the time they were first opened until they were closed in 1967.

The Okinoyama Coal Center imports coal from overseas, and provides reliable supplies to various domestic consumers of coal including with the electric power and cement industries. It is one of the largest coal facilities in Japan, with capacity to handle a volume of about 6 million tons annually (actual volume in FY2003: 4.3 million tons).

Okinoyama is responsible for high-quality, environmentally sound management of the coal, from unloading to storage to reshipment. It is equipped to supply mixed grades of coal or select grades of coal, depending on user requirements.

The coal development center on the premises conducts research to evaluate coal's combustibility and handling properties, and actively engages in other technology research such as finding new uses for coal ash.

In commemoration of the 100-millionth ton of coal, Ube Industries plans to hold a gala reception aboard the Yomoshio-go, on October 12 at 11 a.m.

On November 19 at 12:30 at the ANA Hotel Ube, coal customers, government officials and other concerned parties will be invited to celebrate the Okinoyama Coal Center's 100-millionth ton of coal. At this event, there will be a slide show illustrating the history of the Okinoyama Coal Center.

Notes

  1. In the one-year period beginning in April 2003, Japan imported a total of 168 million tons of coal, according to Ministry of Finance data. Of the total, about half was used as raw material, primarily for the steel industry, while general industrial uses including electric power generation and cement accounted for the other 50%.
  2. Details of Okinoyama Coal Center
  3. Start of operations 1980 (Transport Ministry awarded permit for operation of an outdoor warehouse business)
    Coal storage area 1st coal storage area: 175,000 m2
    2nd coal storage area: 228,000 m2
    Facilities Coal hoist Six exclusive seawall berths, two rope-trolley bucket unloaders
    Maximum ship size 90,000 DWT
    Coal storage facilities 1st class, 2nd class coal storage / two stackers, two reclaimers, one stacker-reclaimer, one mixed-coal facility, one powder / select coal facility, one coal-ash granulation facility
    Loading facilities Two ship loaders, one truck shipment facility
    Annual handling capacitys 6 million tons

Contact

For inquiries please contact
  • Ube Industries, Ltd.
  • General Affairs & Public Relations Group
  • Seavans North Building, 1-2-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8449
  • Phone : +81-3-5419-6110
  • Contact us by Internet.