Fire Shuts 2 Units At Formosa Petrochemicals Taiwan Plant

A fire at Formosa Petrochemical Corp's Mailiao plant in central Taiwan has forced the shutdown of ethylene and aromatics facilities, the company said on Friday.

A spokesman said the fire, in a pipe that feeds raw materials to the units, had been put out at around 5:45 a.m. on Friday after breaking out on Thursday evening.

Because of the damage to the pipeline, facilities producing ethylene and aromatics had been shut down, although they were not damaged by the fire, the spokesman said. One of the facilities is operated by Formosa group company Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp.

The Mailiao complex was hit by two fires in a month last July, raising concern over its safety record.

Formosa Petrochemical shares fell 2.5% in early trading, while Formosa Chemical fell 2.3%. The broader market was flat.