Reveal Status Of Lynas Thorium Extraction Plan Wong Tells Govt

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The rare earth processing company Lynas should not be allowed to expand its operations in Malaysia until questions about the management of its radioactive waste have been resolved, according to former Bentong MP Wong Tack.
He urged Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang to reveal the status of Lynas’ efforts to remove thorium from its waste stream, as per the requirements of a 2023 revision to their operating license.
“Can the minister tell us what is the status of this ‘experiment’?
“Before the people are given a clear and transparent answer on the status of Lynas’ radioactive waste, Lynas should not be allowed to even think of expanding their environmentally destructive operations on our soil,” Wong said in a statement today.
He said this following a memorandum of understanding between the company and the Kelantan government last week for the state to supply mixed rare earth carbonates as feedstock for Lynas’ refinery in Gebeng, Pahang.
Former Bentong MP Wong TackWong, who came into prominence for his role leading the Himpunan Hijau protests against Lynas, acknowledged Malaysia’s mineral wealth but questioned its exploitation.
“Just because we are rich in these natural resources, does that mean we should flip our entire country over so we could all be millionaires and let our children shoulder whatever the consequences?
“Is this the only way our politicians can think of to build our country’s economy, that is, through exploitation, extraction, and destruction of our nation?
“If this is the case, it shows that our politicians have the mentality of colonisers in their blood. Selfish, irresponsible, and without a care in putting the well-being of the people at risk merely for short-term gain.
“Clearly, they are not fit to be leaders, particularly in this era where climate change and sustainability are key global concerns,” he said.
Rare earth boom
Rare earth elements refer to a group of 17 metals and their oxides used in a range of high-tech applications, and are of strategic importance in the ongoing trade war between the US and China.
Lynas is the largest refiner of such minerals outside of China, and the facility in Gebeng is reportedly the only commercial producer of separated heavy rare earths in the world.
Concurrently, Malaysia has also been looking to develop its own rare earth deposits and explore international partnerships to process them.
However, activists have raised concerns surrounding the environmental impact of the extraction of rare earth elements and the management of the waste products from the refining process.
In October 2023, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) revised Lynas’ operating conditions to allow it to maintain its contentious cracking and leaching process in Kuantan instead of relocating it out of Malaysia, and lifted a ban on importing lanthanide concentrate.
In turn, Lynas would be given two years to scale up a proposal to remove the radioactive thorium from the waste stream of the cracking and leaching process, which would allow it to be disposed of as industrial waste instead of radioactive waste.
Chang had suggested that the extracted thorium could be sold off as nuclear fuel, though it should be noted that such reactors currently exist only at the experimental scale.
In the interim, any waste produced by Lynas must be stored in a permanent disposal facility. - Mkini

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