Removal work on the FRP smokestack at Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill, which escaped damage in the Kumamoto earthquake, began on the 28th and is being carried out with safety during aftershocks as the top priority.
At Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was damaged in the July Kumamoto earthquake, removal work on an FRP smokestack made of a different material from the smokestack that collapsed in the earthquake began that day. The work involves using a large crane to remove components from the top of the smokestack and lower them to the ground.
The mill has 5 smokestacks in total. At present, 2 reinforced-concrete smokestacks and 1 FRP smokestack have been damaged. The reinforced-concrete smokestacks are 70 and 80 meters long, and the FRP smokestack is 110 meters long. The 80-meter smokestack collapsed and struck an office building.
Removal work began with the FRP smokestack for which no damage had been confirmed, and the target completion date is early December. An 80-year-old local man watched the work and murmured, “It is sad to see it go.”
The removal is being carried out under a decision to give top priority to ensuring safety after the earthquake. This article does not provide details of any additional removal plans or schedules.