Following two fire accidents at Formosa Plastics Group's (FPG) plants in Mailiao last month, Yunlin County magistrate Su Chih-fen decided to shut down the group's plants starting today. In response, the FPG officials visited the county government, hoping that the authorities can at least allow partial operation of the facilities. However, the proposal was rejected by the county government, which insisted that the plants will have to pass all the safety inspections before resuming operation. Regarding the two fires occurred at Formosa Plastics Group, Yunlin County government has offered a NT$5 million fine to FPG, as well as demanding a halt to the operation of FPG's chloroethene plant and the entire Hai Fong industrial zone of the Nan Ya Plastics Corp, starting today. With around 60 hectares of the complex being affected, the halt is estimated to cost the group at least NT$10 billion per month in revenue. FPG officials have visited Yunlin County government in the hope that the authorities can allow partial operation of the complex because not all of the five plants were affected by the two fires. In response, county government stressed that FPG should not sacrifice the safety and well-being of local residents for economic development and FPG will have to carry out efficient measures to improve the safety of its Mailiao complex if they want to resume production. The halt has also influenced the stock price of FPG and Nan Ya Plastics Corp, which plummeted by 3.54 percent and 5.5 percent respectively on the day when the order was announced. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has expressed its support over Yunlin County government's order. Still, MOEA is concerned that the shutdown will bring a serious impact to the downstream petrochemical industry and to the textile sector, because the halted plants produce 1.8 million tons of EG annually, the fourth largest production volume in the world. Analysts said the shutdown won't affect FPG too much if the company can resume the operation in a month. However, it remains unknown if FPG can pass the county government's inspection next month.