Earthquake fears lead to halt of Chengdu ethylene plant

04 May '13

1 min read

The construction of an ethylene plant in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been halted due to safety concerns raised by the residents as the area falls in an earthquake fault zone.

Earlier this week, the Chengdu city council issued a statement saying the government would not allow production at the ethylene plant in Pengzhou, until a legal examination is carried out, according to a South China Morning Post report.

The statement was issued a few days after a magnitude 7 earthquake jolted Sichuan killing nearly 200 people. After the earthquake, residents in the northwestern suburbs of the city raised concerns over the safety and potential health hazards due to the petrochemical plant.

It may be recalled that in 2008, too, over 200 people had marched in the city demanding suspension of the construction work at the ethylene plant being set up by PetroChina at an initial cost of 38 billion yuan.

Barely a week after the protest, however, a magnitude 8 earthquake struck another part of Sichuan. Subsequently, government authorities assured re-examination of the plant’s environmental impact and its ability to withstand earthquakes.

However, the construction work resumed again in 2011.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - China

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