Compliance with environmental standards will not upset Siam Cement's plans

25-Jan-07

Readiness on part of Siam Cement to meet tighter environmental standards will not derail the company's investment plan, as the company is ready to meet tighter controls. The Siam Cement Group (SCG) plans to go ahead with an investment outlay of Bt10 billion to build a new petrochemical plant in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate as part of its Bt30-billion investment plan for this year. It is ready to comply with tightened environmental standards to assure the public of safety. The Bt10-billion petrochemical project is part of SCG's total investment budget of Bt30 billion this year - the biggest annual investment budget since the 1997 economic crisis. The project will boost the capacity of subsidiary Thai-MMA for 90,000 tons of methyl methacrylate and 20,000 tons of continuous cast sheets. The 7-8 power and petrochemical plant proposals to be set up in Map Ta Phut will have to wait for the Industry Ministry to come up with stricter environmental standards, following cancer fears by among residents living in nearby areas. The Industry Ministry has given Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate one month to complete its operation plan for controlling pollution emissions.