Fire and Foul Odors: CPC's Dalin Refinery in Kaohsiung Faces Further Penalties

Following a recent incident, the CPC's Dalin Refinery in Kaohsiung has been issued a fine for air pollution, as residents of nearby areas experienced a night of fire and unbearable smells.

Kaohsiung residents in the Xiaogang and Daliao districts were likely kept awake during the night of the incident. The CPC (Chinese Petroleum Corporation) Dalin Refinery experienced another incident in the early hours of the morning (November 22nd), with flames visible from the combustion tower, reminiscent of a "Holy Fire Cup" (聖火杯). This incident caused alarm among Xiaogang residents, with some joking that "Christmas came early," while Daliao residents also suffered from the pervasive stench, complaining that "the entire Daliao stinks!"

The sudden appearance of flames in the early morning was clearly visible to many Xiaogang residents. They shared photos on the "Linyuan 543" Facebook group. The incident has caused many Daliao residents to complain, reporting a strong and unpleasant odor in the air. The Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau confirmed that at 2:43 AM, the AI cloud monitoring system detected an anomaly at the CPC Dalin Refinery's heavy oil catalytic cracking plant (M33).

The Environmental Protection Bureau explained that investigations revealed the incident was caused by a sudden shutdown of a compressor (C-1101) within the plant, leading to an emergency shutdown of the process. This resulted in the discharge of a large amount of process gases to the combustion tower for treatment, which then produced visible particulate matter. The Environmental Protection Bureau stated that this action violated Article 32 of the Air Pollution Control Act, and they will impose a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$5 million on the CPC Dalin Refinery.