PT Petrowidada to resume operations in March
PT Petrowidada to resume operations in March
The Jakarta Post, Gresik, East Java
A chemical factory that exploded into flames last month, killing
three people and injuring 58, will reopen, its management says,
despite strenuous opposition from nearby residents.
PT Petrowidada, the owner of the petro-chemical plant in
Gresik, East Java that produces plastics, said on Saturday the
plant would start production again sometime in March.
The factory has been closed since Jan. 20, when a fire gutted
several chemical tanks on the premises, killing three workers,
injuring 58, and polluting the surrounding area.
"The factory will resume operations because we have to meet
the production targets of plastic raw materials demanded by our
customers," operations director Yudianto Kosman said.
While the fire gutted several chemical tanks, others on the
factory's premises would be operational soon, he said. The
company was continuing to repair the tanks affected by the fire.
Yudianto said the reopening of the plant had received support
from Minister of Trade and Industry Rini M.S. Soewandi, who
visited the factory after the fire.
The fire is the largest recorded to have hit a chemical
factory in Indonesia. Fifty-eight survivors of the fire have
received treatment in hospitals, many with severe chemical burns.
Witness said there were two loud explosions before a huge fire
ball erupted from several chemical tanks. The fire, which
destroyed dozens of nearby cars and motorbikes, caused a thick
chemical smoke that covered parts of the city and hurt residents'
eyes. Nearby streams feeding into settlements caught fire or
boiled with chemical residue.
PT Petrowidada, which produces the raw plastic materials
phthalic anhydride (PA) and maleic anhydride (MA), is a
subsidiary of petrochemical company PT Petrokimia, one of
Indonesia's biggest petrochemical groups.
Local residents and environmental activists have strongly
opposed the company's plan to resume operations.
Residents said they were still traumatized by the recent fire.
"Although they have repaired the factory, there is no guarantee
the incident will not happen again. Besides, the reopening of the
factory will aggravate the pollution in our area," said Agus, a
local resident.
Wartono, an activist from environmental group Pattiro,
demanded the company install strict safety systems to avoid more
fires and further pollution in the future. "Without a strict
safety system and better chemical waste management, the factory
should not resume operations soon," Wartono asserted.
East Java Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said
the company should pay for a study to decide whether the factory
was ready to resume operations.