Explosion in controversial chemical plant
Print Edition
AN EXPLOSION early yesterday morning rocked a petrochemical plant that produces a controversial chemical in southeast China’s Fujian Province.
No casualties or chemical leaks have been reported, said officials.
The factory manufactures paraxylene — or PX — a carcinogenic petrochemical used in the production of polyester.
PX can be dangerous if inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and can cause damage to internal organs and the nervous system.
The plant in Zhangzhou City, a 13.8 billion yuan (US$2.25 billion) investment by the Tenglong Aromatic PX (Xiamen) Co Ltd, had reportedly gone into trial operation just last month.
A pipeline at the plant on the Gulei Peninsula exploded at around 4:40am.
A hydrogen pipe, which was not yet in use, cracked and exploded during a pressure test, according to the administration of Gulei Economic Development Zone.
Nearby residents told of the strength of the blast.
“I was jolted out of my dreams by a huge explosion. Then I saw flames erupting about 40 to 50 meters into the sky,” one local resident posted online.
Officials said the blast shattered windows in nearby homes but that factory machinery wasn’t severely damaged.
No air or water pollution was detected, they added.
Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 5am and the blaze was brought under control two hours later.
PX projects have been rejected in several regions of China following protests about environmental and health risks.
According to earlier reports, the factory was built in Gulei after work to build an identical plant was halted in the coastal city of Xiamen amid protests.
The peninsula is more than 100 kilometers from Zhangzhou’s urban area, which has a population of about 1 million, Xinhua news agency reported.
The plant is intended to have an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons.
As a major producer of textile, China has huge demand for PX. But public protests, have seen projects abandoned, leading to severe shortages, said Li Runsheng, deputy director with China Petroleum and Chemical Industries Foundation.
The People’s Daily reported yesterday that PX projects don’t cause environmental pollution as they must pass environmental assessments.
PX is safer than natural gas, the newspaper added.
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