A tornado knocked out power at a major PET resin plant operated by Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. in Decatur, Ala.
The AlphaPet Inc. plant, with annual capacity of 1 billion pounds, lost power late April 28 and remained down at press time April 29.
No injuries were reported and the plant's structure was not damaged, officials with Bangkok-based Indorama said in an April 29 news release.
Tornadoes hit several Southern states last week, resulting in more than 300 deaths and widespread property damage. Wind speeds in some cases were measured at more than 200 mph.
Company officials added that the firm might have to declare force majeure on PET because of uncertainty surrounding when the plant would restart. Indorama also operates North American PET plants in North Carolina, South Carolina and Mexico.
Recycling firm KW Plastics Recycling of Troy, Ala., is contributing to relief efforts by donating 50-gallon plastic drums, according to an April 28 article in the Troy Messenger. The drums can be filled with canned goods and other non-perishable items for people displaced by the storms.
KW was listed as North America's largest plastics recycler in a recent Plastics News ranking, with annual reprocessed volume of almost 500 million pounds.
