Electricity supply was interrupted at the LG CHEM and LOTTE Chemical factories located in the Daesan petrochemical complex in Seosan.
According to the industry, a power outage occurred at around 9:30 a.m. on the 25th, halting operations at both factories. Electricity was restored around 11 a.m.
As the factories stopped, the companies are conducting operations to burn the raw materials that were being used in the production process. This has caused flames and black smoke to billow from the smokestacks.
A company official noted, "If operations are halted even briefly, the raw materials can undergo chemical reactions and take on different molecular structures, resulting in improperly produced products," and added, "If the equipment becomes unusable, there is a risk of other accidents, so we are incinerating the raw materials."
Even if electricity supply is restored, it is estimated that considerable time will be required for the factories to normalize operations. The incident is expected to result in losses of several hundred million won for both companies.
In 2006, there was also a power outage at the Daesan petrochemical complex, during which LG CHEM and LOTTE Daesan Petrochemical (now LOTTE Chemical) and two other companies filed a damage claim of 10.4 billion won against KEPCO.
KEPCO stated regarding this power outage, "There are no issues with KEPCO's lines," and added, "There may be problems with the companies' equipment."