Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics fined NT$1m on VCM plant pollution

30 May 2011 11:29  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Formosa Plastics Corp was fined New Taiwan dollar (NT$) 1m ($34,662) for having an above-normal pollution at its vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plant in Mailiao, a company source said on Monday.

FPC, however, has yet to receive an official notification from the Yunlin government, said the source.

“We are waiting for an official statement from the government,” the source said.

The government directive contains an order to shut the 800,000 tonne/year VCM plant, but the plant has been down since 12 May due to a fire that broke out at a pipeline at the Formosa group’s petrochemical complex in Mailiao, said the source.

The fire on 12 May caused a power outage, which shut the system at the VCM plant that diffuses pollution, the source added.

FPC hopes to negotiate with the Yunlin government to explain the reason for the above-standard pollution after the fire, the source said.

The affected pipeline in Mailiao is shared among companies under the Formosa group, namely, FPC, Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPCC), Formosa Chemical Fibres Corp (FCFC), Nan Ya Plastics, the source said.

($1 = NT$28.85)

By: Pearl Bantillo
+65 6780 4359

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