The Petrochemical Industry Association of Taiwan (台灣石化工業公會) yesterday said that the closure of Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp’s (台化) Changhua plant might trigger a domino effect in the petrochemical industry.
The association said the central government should help the company and the Changhua County Government find a solution to license renewal problems as the incident might negatively affect businesses’ willingness to invest.
Last month the county government rejected the firm’s permit renewal applications for three boilers at its coal-fired power plant in the county, insisting that the company apply for new permits.
Without the renewed permits, the plant — which specializes in the production of nylon and rayon — is expected to completely shut down tomorrow.
In the past few days, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre employees staged protests in front of the Changhua County Government building as the two sides continued negations over the issue. However, negotiations broke down yesterday evening, with Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) now seeking assistance from the Environmental Protection Administration to help clarify the permit controversies.
The association said it supports environmental protection, but it takes time for companies to improve manufacturing processes and the decision to close the factory needs more time for review.
Without well-coordinated administrative actions and supplementary measures, the plant’s shutdown would only lead to more protests, harming the interests of both downstream companies and workers, the association said.
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