|
|
|
Talk of the day -- Mailiao expansion plan up in air after fires
2010/07/27 13:00:28 |
Formosa Petrochemical Corp.'s fifth expansion of its Mailiao naphtha cracking and oil refining complex in southern Taiwan's Yunlin County may be deferred or scrapped after two fires broke out at the site within 20 days of each other.
Yunlin County Magistrate Su Chih-fen urged Premier Wu Den-yih on Monday to shelve the screening of the complex's new expansion project until after it passes an overall safety review.
Hundreds of residents in Mailiao Township staged a protest outside the complex Monday, during which clashes with police officers broke out.
Protesters agreed to leave the site at around 10: 30 p.m. only after Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang promised to call a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan Thursday on the Mailiao complex's safety problems.
The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the issue:
United Daily News:
Su said she has repeatedly asked the central government to conduct a thorough review of security and disaster prevention measures at the Mailiao complex -- the largest petrochemical compound in Taiwan -- long before the recent blazes.
"However, my suggestions have fallen on deaf ears, " Su said, adding that the fires were the outcome of the central government's longstanding disregard for industrial safety.
The county government slapped Formosa Petrochemical Corp. Monday with a fine of NT$1 million and ordered a shutdown of the plant where the fire broke out late Sunday.
Another plant in the complex hit by a fire on July 7 still remains closed in line with the county government's punitive measures.
Minister Shih and Industrial Development Bureau Director-General Woody Duh both visited the complex to review the situation. (July 27, 2010).
China Times:
The company's chairman, Wang Wen-chao, paid a visit to Su Monday to apologize for the factory fire that caused safety concerns among Yunlin County residents.
Wang said the complex's factory design and equipment all meet standard requirements adopted in advanced countries and its fire prevention personnel have all been well-trained.
"We have had a well-devised response mechanism and the recent incident has been brought under control," Wang assured Su.
Su, however, questioned the transparency of the complex's safety operations. She said the central government needs to institutionalize a national disaster response center to deal with the issue since the Mailiao complex is the world's largest of its kind. (July 27, 2010).
Commercial Times:
Formosa Petrochemical's profits for the third quarter of this year will decrease by an estimated NT$5 billion because of the recent fires at its Mailiao complex and a planned closure of its second olefin plant at the complex in August for an annual safety check, industry sources said.
A company spokesman said the company's three oil refining facilities jointly contribute NT$50 billion to its monthly turnover. After one of the company's refining plants was forced to suspend operations after a fire due to heavy oil leak, the oil refining facilities' contribution to monthly sales may decline by over 20 percent, the spokesman added. (July 27, 2010). (By Sofia Wu) enditem/ls
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ▌ Other |
 |
2010/09/06
|
|
2010/09/05
|
|
2010/09/04
|
|
2010/09/03
|
|
2010/09/02
|
|
|
| ▌ Most Viewed Story |
|
2010/09/05
|
|
2010/09/05
|
|
2010/09/05
|
|
2010/09/05
|
|
2010/09/05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|