Varawut: Chinese steelmaker Xin Ke Yuan cleared to resume operations

Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said today that the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) is legally bound to allow Chinese steelmaker Xin Ke Yuan to resume operations, because the company has rectified all the problems identified by the department. He also invited opposition MPs to inspect the steel mill themselves.

He said that, if it is discovered that the company has failed to meet the requirements, the DIW will demand that it rectify the situation and, if it fails to do so, the company’s operations would be suspended again.

The industry minister was grilled today in parliament by People’s Party MP Krit Silapachai over the department’s decision to allow the Chinese steelmaker to resume operations on June 5.

Krit questioned whether the company’s production processes and rebar products now meet the standards required for public safety.

Responding, Varawut said that the DIW had identified two problems for Xin Ke Yuan to rectify, specifically the management of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) dust, which is below standard, and the quality of the rebar products.

He also said that he has instructed the DIW and the Thailand Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to set new standards for EAF and the induction furnaces currently being installed in the company’s 40 steel mills.

Regarding the question of EAF dust, a hazardous byproduct, Varawut said the Department of Special Investigation had completed its investigation into the matter and did not find any evidence that Xin Ke Yuan had imported or exported the material.