“The petrochemical industry is key to Taiwan’s economy,” Premier Jiang Yi-huah said. “Relevant agencies and authorities will review the possibility of establishing such a zone at Kaohsiung’s third port in the southernmost Siaogang District.
“At the same time, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Kaohsiung City Government must examine all industrial pipelines within three months to prevent disasters such as last month’s pipeline explosions from happening again,” the premier said. “MOEA Minister Duh Tyzz-jiun will also oversee efforts to coordinate management of petrochemical facilities in the southern Taiwan port city.”
Jiang made the remarks at a meeting with Taiwan’s Chinese National Federation of Industries Aug. 14 in Taipei City.
According to the MOEA, the dedicated zone could be built on an unused 416-hectare plot of reclaimed land owned by Kaohsiung International Container Terminal. Downstream petrochemical product manufacturers in neighboring Dafa and Linyuan industrial parks may also move in, creating a world-class industry cluster.
The project is tentatively budgeted at over NT$50 billion (US$1.7 billion), a figure possibly offset by sales of freed-up land in densely populated areas such as Dashe, Houjin and Renwu. Relocation is scheduled to commence in 2017 at the earliest.
Detailed plans will be submitted to Jiang for further review at next week’s Cabinet meeting. (YHC-JSM)
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