Japan’s October base oils output falls

Japan’s base oils output fell to an eight-month low in October amid a combination of maintenance work and a plant closure.

Total base oils and lube output of 186,360 kilolitres (165,000t) in October fell from 211,500kl the previous month, government data showed.

Output fell for a seventh month from year-earlier levels, cutting total production by 5pc to 2.0mn kl in the first ten months of the year.

Base oils output fell following the permanent closure in October of Eneos’ Group I base oils plant and refinery at Wakayama.

The closure followed the closure of another Group I base oils plant in Japan around a year earlier.

The closure coincided with scheduled maintenance work on another Group I base oils plant at Eneos’ Mizushima refinery. The maintenance work was scheduled to end at end-November 2023.