Gov't defends stance on petrochem industry

Woody T.J. Duh, chief of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the MOEA, told a news conference that the petrochemical sector should not be “demonized” and castigated as it is one of the basic industries in every developed country.

“Many items in our daily lives, ranging from glass to clothing, are closely linked to the petrochemical industry, which forms the development foundation in all industrialized countries,” he stressed.

Duh called the news conference to defend the government's policy on the local industry and its moves to explain its stance to the public amid objections to the establishment of major petrochemical plants.

“Developed countries, including the United States, Japan and Germany, all have a self-sufficiency rate of more than 90 percent in terms of ethylene,” he noted.

Even green businesses like the solar and wind energy industries, are closely related to the petrochemical sector, as many of their materials and components are petrochemical-based, Duh said.

“The government should be blamed if it fails to explain the industry's importance to the public and strips people of the right to know the truth,” he added.

“Based on the principles of energy-effectiveness and pollution reduction, the MOEA will support the establishment of a major petrochemical plant in Changhua County to replace the aging fifth naphtha cracker,” he said.

He also stressed the the IDB will strictly supervise investor for adequate pollution control measures.

Duh's press conference came after a group of environmentalists and opposition Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin filed a complaint with the government's watchdog Control Yuan earlier in the day against a government advertisement explaining its petrochemical development policy.

Tien accused the MOEA of wasting NT$5 million in public funds to run what he described as a misleading ad in major local newspapers for two consecutive days.

She further criticized the ministry of covering up for companies with vested interest by doing so.

Citing the results of an investigation by Chen Jih-jung, an assistant professor at National Chung Hsing University, she said the planned Kuokuang petrochemical plant in Changhua County could rack up net earnings of NT$51.6 billion.

But the project might cause a loss of between NT$53.9 billion and NT$109.1 billion to society as a whole, she said.

Pan Han-shen, convener of the Green Party Taiwan, said the ad might trigger confrontation in society.

Ma Yi-kung, a member of the Control Yuan, received their complaint and promised to conduct an investigation into the case.

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