Mettur, 11 September 2012: An explosion rocked the thermal plant in Chemplast Sanmar at around 6 a.m. on 11 September; safety valves and other plant equipment were ejected as missiles and landed more than 100 feet away near the cooling tower. Workers in the vicinity ran away from the plant to save themselves. There were no reported injuries or loss of lives. Besides generating electricity, the plant supplies process steam to Chemplast’s PVC and chlorine plants. According to local sources, steam build-up in the conveyor line caused the steam to back-up to the turbine and explode as a result of the pressure. No officials from the Inspector of Factories or district administration are reported to have inspected the site. Workers say the damage is rumoured to be to the tune of several hundred thousand rupees.