Remediation of China Petrochemical Development Corporation Anshun Plant

Located at Xiangong Village and Luer Village, China Petrochemical Development Corporation Anshun Plant succeeded Taiwan Alkali Co., Ltd. Anshun Plant. 18 km from the Tainan downtown, the plant is adjacent to Taijiang National Park. In 1983, Ministry of Economic Affairs ordered Taiwan Alkali Co., Ltd. Anshun Plant to be merged into China Petrochemical Development Corporation. In 2004, Tainan City Government announced it as the remediation site for soil contamination. In 2007, China Petrochemical Development Corporation was sentenced by Taiwan High Court as the polluter and should be liable for remediation of contamination. The scope of Anshun Plant contaminated accounted for 37.1 hectare, covering water and land. In addition, the total number of pollutants, pollution concentration, and pollutants mixed with more than two properties f dioxins and mercury were rarely seen in both Taiwan and foreign countries. The remediation work was extremely difficult.

However, China Petrochemical Development Corporation still planned the most appropriate remediation scheme. After studying related cases and consulting experts and scholars, China Petrochemical Development Corporation proposed two phases of remediation lasting 15 years based on the concept of “remediation train” with huge amount of costs to be invested in the related study and planning of remediation work. The Corporation actively faced this mistake in a responsible manner and became a model for other countries to learn from.

Since 2009, China Petrochemical Development Corporation actively started the remediation of soil contamination at Anshun Plant after Tainan City Government reviewed and approved the remediation proposal. As of end of 2014, the first phase of remediation work has been completed. Abundant performances and experiences have been obtained in these five years, including the validation of soil in the grass area, forest area, single vegetation, alkali chlorine zone, and sea basin area B with the total volume of 100,000 tons and total area of 13.3 hectare

The Corporation will start the second phase of remediation in 2015 to carry out the heat treatment of contaminated soil with high concentration of dioxins and sea basin area A. In addition, the decontamination and treatment of the entire area will be carried out gradually. It is estimated that the remediation of the entire area will be completed in 2024.

In addition to active remediation of contaminated soil, China Petrochemical Development Corporation also carries out the employee training, advance protection and decontamination, on-site environmental monitoring, and regular inspection of surroundings to avoid the second contamination to the environment during the remediation.

Given that the competent authority and community residents paid strong attention to the progress of remediation work, China Petrochemical Development Corporation Anshun Plant actively invited related interested parties to participate in the work and understand the status and progress of remediation through coordination meetings, engineering review, resident seminar, and task force meetings. Such event could ease local residents’ concerns and misunderstanding and further support subsequent remediation scheme. China Petrochemical Development Corporation also actively participated in local events, including Luermen Matsu Temple Pilgrimage Procession in 2013 commemorating the development of Zheng Chenggong and dinner with the elderly living alone, and issued NT$1.5 million every year for neighborhood funds during the remediation work.

This experience in remediation allowed China Petrochemical Development Corporation to fully understand the possible major impacts of manufacturing plant on the environment and health of local community. In 2014, the first phase of remediation work has been completed, and the ten-year second phase of remediation work is just about to start. Although the work is costly, China Petrochemical Development Corporation will still invest in manpower and resources and bring a better living environment to local residents and community. In addition, China Petrochemical Development Corporation plans to turn Anshun Plant into a base for environmental education based on experiences and skills in remediation and share this well-known case with the government, industry, academia, local residents, and the general public. What’s more, China Petrochemical Development Corporation even expects to remediate Aushun Plant and adjacent Taijiang National Park in order to activate local economy through reuse of land as well as fulfill corporate social responsibilities.