On September 1, Taiyo Nippon Sanso established with Nippon Steel an equally-invested company named Kimitsu Sanso (oxygen) Center in the premises of the Works to produce, supply and maintain industrial gas using the cryogenic air-separation unit (ASU) and related facilities owned by Nippon Steel East Nippon Works Kimitsu Area. With a capital of 50 million yen, the two companies equally shared the investment, and the management is done mainly by Taiyo Nippon Sanso.

　Regarding the background of the establishment, Taiyo Nippon Sanso described, “This establishment of Sanso Center with Nippon Steel is the fourth one following Nagoya Works (Nagoya Sanso Center), Kyushu Works Oita Area (Oita Sanso Center) and Kyushu Works Yawata Area (Yawata Sanso Center). At this time the establishment has been realized owing to Nippon Steel’s appreciation of our efforts and performances in the management of the Centers, for instance, the safely stable and efficient supply of gases and the implementation of maintenance with appropriate inspection intervals and itemized checks. It is advantageous also for us that we can take more volume of liquid gas than the other gas manufacturers leading a growth of our business.”

In addition, Taiyo Nippon Sanso also established Sanso Center with JFE Steel (then Nippon Kokan) in 1966, and now carries out the business at three locations of JFE West Japan Works Fukuyama and Kurashiki Areas and East Japan Works Keihin Area.

It is said that Nippon Steel East Japan Works Kimitsu Area now possesses eight ASU facilities in total including spare units for maintenance and other purposes. Kimitsu Sanso Center will take over the ASUs and related facilities within 2023, and start operation under Taiyo Nippon Sanso from 2024.

With regard to the operators who had engaged in managing ASU from the beginning, the company is now considering how to treat them at this stage.

As for the future。Taiyo Nippon Sanso comments, “We will make efforts to make management to meet Nippon Steel’s expectation just like the existing Sanso Centers.

This will make JFE Steel Chiba Works be the only captive user in the domestic integrated blast furnace steelworks. All of the others either take a gas supply from JV with industrial gas producers or use a pipeline supply. The business environment around blast furnaces is going to change substantially.