Category: Singapore

Smoke from forest and peat-soil fires drove air quality to unhealthy levels in and around Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur today, adding to the burden of water rationing after a month-long drought. The government’s air pollutant index climbed to as high as 137 in Port Klang this morning, with seven parts of Kuala Lumpur and the states of Selangor and Negri Sembilan recording levels above 100, which is classified as unhealthy. Cloud-seeding has begun to induce rainfall over dams and water-catchment areas, the Star reported today, citing Malaysia’s Meteorological Department. “We are trying to identify fire-prone areas, especially peat-soil land and steps are being taken,” G. Palanivel, Malaysia’s natural resources and environment minister, said in a text message to Bloomberg News today. Disputes over haze flare up regularly between Indonesia and its neighbors. The latest was in June, when smog in Singapore reached a record […]

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Exxon Mobil has inaugurated a petrochemical processing facility in Singapore on the island of Jurong. The facility is part of the expansion of an existing chemical plant that was built in 2002 and currently accounts for about a quarter of Exxon Mobil’s global chemical capacity. Exxon Mobil Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rex W. Tillerson, speaking at the plant inauguration Wednesday, said global chemical demand would grow faster than gross domestic product expansion as living standards continue to rise and people purchase more household and packaged goods manufactured with chemical products. "Two-thirds of that growth in chemical demand will be here in the Asia-Pacific region," Tillerson said. "Exxon Mobil’s expanded Singapore chemical plant is uniquely positioned to serve these growth markets — from China to the Indian subcontinent and beyond." Exxon Mobil says the facility incorporates more than 40 new proprietary technologies and is […]

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