Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) chairman William Wong (王文淵) yesterday apologized for a fire at a plant run by group affiliate Nan Ya Plastics Corp (南亞塑膠) in Chiayi County on Sunday.
The head of the nation’s largest private-sector enterprise addressed the apology to all Chiayi residents during a meeting at the office of Chiayi County Commissioner Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠).
Nan Ya Plastics has launched overall safety checks and will take full responsibility, Wong said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
He told reporters that pending the results of an investigation, he had no idea what caused the fire.
The blaze broke out at about 8:30am on Sunday at Nan Ya’s -Chiayi Second Plant in Taibao City (太保). The factory produced a high-quality waterproof synthetic paper known as white pearl, or PEPA.
It took firefighters nearly 17 hours to extinguish the blaze. No casualties were reported.
The fire dealt another blow to the group after two fires in July at the group’s petrochemical complex in Mailiao Township (麥寮), Yunlin County.
The Chiayi County Government yesterday put together a panel of experts to evaluate damage caused by the latest fire and handle residents’ complaints.
At a news conference before meeting Wong, Chang said the fire was a “serious industrial safety incident” that caused severe air pollution in the county, which is one of the major agricultural areas in the nation.
Anyone who suffered a loss because of the pollution would have an opportunity to present evidence and if a loss could be proven, the panel would help people claim compensation from Nan Ya, Chang said.
Experts were also asked to determine whether the fire affected the quality of water, air or soil in the county, she said.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said it had collected samples of black-colored rain believed to have been caused by the fire, adding that the report of its analysis was scheduled to come out within a week.
Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒), director of the EPA’s Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Department, said it suspected the rain was polluted by carbon residue caused by incomplete combustion. Aside from determining the cause of the black-colored rain by analyzing the chromaticity and particulates in the polluted rain, Hsieh said technicians at the agency would also look for heavy metals.
Hsieh said Nanya was fined NT$1 million (US$31,950), as the fire produced an unbearable stench in nearby areas.
“The standard value of odor stated as prescribed by law is 50, but the odor detected on location was 229, four times the standard value,” Hsieh said. “Because of the stench, Nanya was fined NT$1 million.”
Hsieh said Chiayi County’s Environmental Protection Bureau monitored air quality near the Nanya plant and found that it contained particulates of 85 micrograms per cubic meter of air after the fire erupted, which was higher than that detected on -regular days.
However, the amount did not exceed the standard value stated in regulations, he said.
The bureau also monitored the air quality in Singang (新港), Chiayi City and Puzih (朴子) on Sunday morning, finding that the density of sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide in Singang surged from four parts per billion (ppb) to 16ppb. Hsieh said the phenomenon lasted about an hour and the density of the two substances had both now dropped to regular levels.
Hsieh said the bureau would continue monitoring air quality in Chiayi, adding that Nanya may be punished further if it is determined that the company did not follow the terms stated in the pollution source operating permit.
In the wake of the incident, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said it has drawn up a cooperation plan with other agencies, including the EPA, to monitor the operations of the nation’s petrochemical industry.
The plan will be implemented immediately if approved by the Executive Yuan, the officials said, adding that FPG petrochemical factories would likely be the first target because of public concern.
Taiwan has arranged for about 8 million barrels of crude oil, or about one-third of its monthly needs, to be shipped from the Red Sea this month to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and ease domestic supply pressures, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) said yesterday. The state-run oil company has worked with Middle Eastern suppliers to secure routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes, CPC chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia have indicated they
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
CCP ‘PAWN’? Beijing could use the KMT chairwoman’s visit to signal to the world that many people in Taiwan support the ‘one China’ principle, an academic said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday arrived in China for a “peace” mission and potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), while a Taiwanese minister detailed the number of Chinese warships currently deployed around the nation. Cheng is visiting at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, as the opposition-dominated Legislative Yuan stalls a government plan for US$40 billion in extra defense spending. Speaking to reporters before going to the airport, Cheng said she was going on a “historic journey for peace,” but added that some people felt uneasy about her trip. “If you truly love Taiwan,
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
RSS