Some Chemical Producers to Halt Operations for Y2K


		AcuSafe -> October 1999 Newsletter
		Some Chemical Producers to Halt Operations for Y2K

Compiled From AP and CSB Reports

Cautious Chemical Plants in Kanawah Valley to Suspend Operations

Some leading manufacturers are taking precautions, including a temporary New Year’s Eve halt in production, to head off toxic accidents and production foul-ups caused by Y2K computer trouble. Although chemical manufacturers are confident that plants and production systems are safe from computer glitches that threaten operations January 1, brief production halts are planned as a fail-safe measure.

Rhone-Poulenc, DuPont, Monsanto and Ashland Chemical all say they will idle some North American plant operations on the weekend when the calendar turns from 1999 to 2000. Rhone-Poulenc is also planning to eliminate its stockpiles of methyl isocyanate before the end of the year, according to news sources.

The New Year's Eve shutdowns go beyond the common practice of suspending operations over holiday weekends. Many chemical companies normally run some plants around the clock every day of the year. Because New Year's Day is on a Saturday, companies expect production shutdowns will cause few problems and will not be excessively expensive.

Monsanto will halt production for about eight hours before and after midnight on Dec. 31, said John Ogens, director of the company's Global Year 2000 Project. Sean Clancy, spokesman for Union Carbide Corp. in Danbury, Conn., said the manufacturer does not expect shutdowns at any of its seven plants in the United States.

Canadian Chemical Plants Plan Y2K Shutdowns 'Just in Case'

The Canadian subsidiary of U.S. corporate giant Dow Chemical has announced it will temporarily halt or scale back operations on New Year's Eve as a Y2K precaution. Dow Canada joins Nova Chemical of Calgary, Alberta and Methanex Corporation of Vancouver, B.C. as companies that have announced steps to idle or cut back on operations to avoid Y2K-related problems.

Dow spokesperson Barbara Mayben said the temporary production halts will be part of a global action by Dow that will affect less than 10 percent of its 450 worldwide plants during the date transition.

Although they all pledge Y2K-readiness, Canadian chemical companies say they need to guard against the possibility that external supplies of power --- and in some cases natural gas --- may fail, according to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Canadian power companies, as do most U.S. utilities, insist they're ready for Y2K. But last week TransAlta Corp., Alberta's biggest electric producer, created a stir when it was learned that the Calgary-based utility is stockpiling $15,000 worth of food for its workers in case of a disaster.

The plans of Nova and Methanex are both reported to be subject to change based on their assessment of power utility Y2K preparations.