KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya has renewed the operating licence for rare earth miner Lynas’ plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, but with conditions that will bar it from producing radioactive waste in Malaysia after July.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang announced this on Facebook, adding that he would be holding a press conference to provide further information.
“Lynas has been informed of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s decision, in which Lynas’ request to drop four conditions related to ‘cracking and leaching’ activity, waste generation of Water Leach Purification, and the import of lantanide concentrates from Australia, was not considered.
“In other words, Lynas will not be allowed to carry out activities that will produce radioactive waste in Malaysia after July 2023,” Chang said.
The minister’s statement follows remarks by Lynas Rare Earths Ltd chief executive officer Amanda Lacaze earlier today expressing disappointment that the company’s request was not granted.
“After 10 years of safe operation in Malaysia, we are disappointed that the conditions that were applied to our 2020 operating licence remain,” Lacaze said in a statement.
“We will now proceed with administrative and legal appeals to ensure that Lynas is treated fairly and equitably as a foreign direct investor and a significant employer and contributor to the Malaysian economy,” she added.
The Gebeng plant’s operating licence was set to expire on March 2.
Rejection of Lynas’ request will now mean that it has to shut down cracking and leaching activities at the Gebeng plant, processes said to produce radioactive waste. However, it can continue other parts of rare earth processing until the next renewal comes up in three years’ time.
Lynas has said previously that reviews by the International Atomic Energy Agency has found the waste to be low risk.
The plant in Gebeng had been opposed by Pakatan Harapan politicians ahead of the 2018 general election. After the coalition won and took over the federal government, then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad renewed the plant’s licence with conditions, citing the need to preserve investments in the country. – The Vibes, February 14, 2023
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