On October 1, JV of Taiyo Nippon Sanso (TNSC) and JFE Steel opened Kurashiki Plant of JFE Sanso Center to supply on-site gases to West Japan Works (Kurashiki) of JFE Steel.

JFE Sanso Center, an air separation gas manufacturer (capital: 90 million) invested by TNSC (60%) and JFE Steel (40%) has been supplying on-site gases to JFE Steel West Japan Works Fukuyama and East Japan Works Keihin.

Kurashiki Plant will be engaged in the gas supplying business for West Japan Works (Kurashiki) of JFE Steel, and will take over the air separation gas manufacturing business which JFE Steel itself has so far been doing.

To this end, the plant is newly constructing two cryogenic ASUs with an oxygen gasifying capacity of 60 thousand Nm3/h each (made by TNSC) for the scheduled completion at the end of January and the end of July 2018 respectively.
　
JFE Steel West Japan (Kurashiki) has now nine existing units of ASU (with a total gasifying capacity of 205 thousand Nm3/h). When the new units start operation, the six existing smaller units will be stopped.