Kaohsiung CPC plant may be fined over excessive pollutant release

Kaohsiung, April 17 (CNA) A Kaohsiung petrochemical plant operated by state-run CPC Corp., Taiwan may face fines after equipment failure triggered elevated flaring that released excessive pollutants into the air on Friday, the city's Environmental Protection Bureau said.

The bureau said its monitoring system detected black smoke from a flare stack at CPC's Linyuan plant at 11:28 a.m., adding that the company is set to be subject to a fine of between NT$100,000 and NT$5 million (US$158,277) under the Air Pollution Control Act as a result.

An investigation found that a compressor in the plant's naphtha cracking process (C-1501) had tripped, diverting gases to the flare system, where they were burned off, resulting in elevated flaring and significant particulate emissions, the bureau said.

The compressor has since been restarted, while the cause of the trip remains under investigation.

Kaohsiung City Councilor Chiou Yu-shiuan (邱于軒) of the opposition Kuomintang, who arrived at the scene, said residents remained concerned over the smoke and hoped CPC would provide a full explanation.

In petroleum refineries, flare stacks are safety devices used to prevent equipment overpressure by burning off excess gases during both planned and unplanned flaring events.