Nan Ya Plastics Corp (南亞塑膠), the nation’s largest plastics maker, yesterday saw one of its four factory sites in Chiayi County go up in flames. No casualties were reported.
The incident smeared the image of Formosa Plastics Group (FPG, 台塑集團), one of Taiwan’s largest industrial conglomerates, which has seen three fires and explosions at subsidiaries in as many months.
The control room at Nan Ya Second Plant — spanning 1,000 ping (3,306m2) — was the apparent source of the fire, which broke out at about 8:30am.
Photo: CNA
Black smoke could be seen rising from the top of the site a few kilometers away.
Nearly 100 concerned residents in Taibao City (太保), Chiayi County, gathered at the site in an attempt to enter the area to demand an explanation.
The residents complained of air pollution caused by the plant and demanded a similar compensation package offered by FPG for similar fires in July.
According to the Chinese-language United Daily Evening News, the fire was not expected to cause a supply shortage for Nan Ya’s clients because the site doesn’t produce key raw industrial materials.
The second plant mostly churns out synthetic paper, which serves as an alternative to wood pulp paper and is mainly used for packaging and printing purposes.
Chiayi County’s Environmental Protection Bureau yesterday slapped a NT$1 million (US$31,250) fine on the plastics maker and monitored for air pollution.
It has ordered the second plant to suspend operations while a thorough inspection is conducted.
Nan Ya said that although the burning synthetic paper would release common chemicals that fall within safety standards, it would also cause an unpleasant smell and could lead to skin irritation upon exposure.
Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化), Taiwan’s only publicly traded oil refiner, shut its 540,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Mailiao (麥寮), Yunlin County, for safety reasons after on oil leak triggered a fire at its No. 2 residual desulfurization unit on July 25.
It was the second fire at the complex in one month. An earlier fire on July 7 forced the refiner to halt its No. 1 ethylene plant.
Mailiao residents and other nearby villages demanded -compensation and accused the plant of employing poor safety standards and neglecting the potential health risks for people living near the facility.
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