TAIPEI, July 29 (Reuters) - Taiwan's government will set up a management centre to ensure public safety after a fire earlier this week at Formosa Petrochemical's giant Taiwan refinery complex, the government spokesman said on Thursday.
The centre set up by the economics ministry would seek to prevent threats to safety at the 540,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Mailiao complex after three incidents already this year, Taiwan cabinet spokesman Johnny Chiang told a news conference.
A fire on Sunday night closed the refinery, Asia's fifth largest, but most of it was expected to open within a week.
The government, pressured by angry air pollution-wary residents and the island's main opposition party, said it would open its on-site management centre at the end of August to accept public complaints.
Privately-run Formosa Petchemicals must also do thorough checks before reopening the fire-damaged unit, Chiang said.
'As for the required detailed inspections on what causes accidents, if they want to reopen they must go through a strict inspection and assessment,' he said.
(Reporting by Lin Miao-jung; Editing by Ken Wills)
((ralph.jennings@thomsonreuters.com; +886 2 2500 4882; Reuters Messaging: ralph.jennings.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: FORMOSA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The centre set up by the economics ministry would seek to prevent threats to safety at the 540,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Mailiao complex after three incidents already this year, Taiwan cabinet spokesman Johnny Chiang told a news conference.
A fire on Sunday night closed the refinery, Asia's fifth largest, but most of it was expected to open within a week.
The government, pressured by angry air pollution-wary residents and the island's main opposition party, said it would open its on-site management centre at the end of August to accept public complaints.
Privately-run Formosa Petchemicals must also do thorough checks before reopening the fire-damaged unit, Chiang said.
'As for the required detailed inspections on what causes accidents, if they want to reopen they must go through a strict inspection and assessment,' he said.
(Reporting by Lin Miao-jung; Editing by Ken Wills)
((ralph.jennings@thomsonreuters.com; +886 2 2500 4882; Reuters Messaging: ralph.jennings.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: FORMOSA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.