ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENT

SCG Chemicals sets Map Ta Phut budget

SCG Chemicals, a unit of the Siam Cement Group, has earmarked 2.5 billion baht for environmental management at Map Ta Phut over the next six years including turning all of its 17 plants into "eco-factories" emitting zero waste by 2013.

The plan features what will be Thailand's biggest enclosure ground flare (EGF), a device that will reduce smoke and noise from the production process, said Somchai Wangwattanapanich, the vice-president for operations.
The big-budget programmes will be on top of 100 million baht normally spent on corporate social responsibility activities annually.
"Business prosperity must not compromise environmental protection and the well-being of the surrounding communities. That's why we are investing in these long-term green projects," said Mr Somchai.
The ultimate goal is to develop the company's petrochemical complex in Rayong's Map Ta Phut area into a full-scale industrial town in the near future, he said.
By operating in a sustainable manner in harmony with the environment and surrounding communities, big corporations like SCG can avoid a repeat of the environmental disputes that prompted the 2009 court ruling that suspended 76 industrial projects in Map Ta Phut.
Twenty of them belonged to SCG.
Mr Somchai, who is also managing director of Map Ta Phut Olefins, said projects implemented between now and 2016 would share the objectives of reducing energy consumption, noise, nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Other projects will cover water treatment, waste management and building green zones.
For example, the EGF will allow complete combustion, thereby reducing the release of heat, flames and smoke into the air.
Construction will begin next month for completion in late 2013.
Another key project is an anaerobic wastewater treatment system to be installed next July at Siam Mitsui PTA, SCG's joint venture with a Japan's Mitsui Chemical.
It will not only use less electricity than aerobic systems, but also generate biogas as a byproduct.
SCG Chemicals will become a zero-landfill organisation this year and be VOC-free by 2016, said Mr Somchai.
He said other major projects include a vapour recovery unit at the Map Ta Phut tank terminal and a polypropylene plant.
All but one of SCG's suspended projects have resumed operations.
The exception is a propylene oxide plant co-invested by US-based Dow Chemical, but production is due to commence in December.
Shares of Siam Cement (SCC) closed yesterday on the SET at 350 baht, down 2 baht, in trade worth 358 million baht.