The Executive Yuan is considering a proposal to set up a special zone for petrochemical companies in Greater Kaohsiung in the wake of the deadly gas pipeline explosions that rocked the city on July 31 and Aug. 1, an official confirmed yesterday.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is to meet with Ministry of Economic Affairs officials next week to discuss the issue, Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said.
While confirming that the premier was briefed on the proposal earlier this week, Sun said there has been no decision on whether to adopt the plan.
According to a story in the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday, the plan involves relocating existing petrochemical complexes in Greater Kaohsiung to a place in the port area to avoid having underground pipelines runnign through the city’s residential areas.
Under the plan, the government would reclaim 400 hectares in the waters off the city’s Siaogang District (小港) to build a special zone for petrochemical plants, which are currently scattered around the city.
The project would cost an estimated NT$50 billion (US$1.67 billion) and is likely to be completed in 2017, the paper said.
The petrochemical industry in the city has been under scrutiny after last month’s deadly explosions, which are believed to have been caused by a propylene leak in an underground pipeline owned by LCY Chemical Corp (李長榮化學).
With an annual output of more than NT$900 billion (US$30 billion), the petrochemical industry accounts for nearly a quarter of the city’s industrial output, government data show.
More than 200,000 of the city’s 2.77 million residents are directly or indirectly employed in the petrochemical industry.
However, the government’s plan to set up a new industrial zone for petrochemical companies is likely to face stiff opposition in Siaogang.
Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) yesterday said any plan to build a special petrochemical zone needs to be discussed with the city’s residents.
The top priority at present is to ensure safety in existing pipelines owned by the many petrochemical companies in the city, she said.
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