LYNAS Corp can keep rare earth processing waste from its Gebeng plant in Kuantan if it can build and maintain a facility to dispose of its waste, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Asked today if Putrajaya would allow the waste to remain here instead of an earlier requirement to ship it out, he said the Australian firm must show its plan to tackle the problem.

“Yes, we have this condition with Lynas. That they should have a plan for dealing with the waste.

“We are waiting for them to tell us how they are going do that, whether they find a place where they can deposit the waste,” he told reporters after an event in Putrajaya today.

This marks the removal of the initial requirement for Lynas to send its waste out of Malaysia if it wants its operating licence renewed. The licence expires in September.

In May, Dr Mahathir had indicated that Lynas would be allowed to continue operations, saying alternative solutions should be found if the firm did not want to export its waste.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin had insisted Lynas exports its waste if it wanted its licence renewed.

Australia has refused to accept the waste, and Lynas said it was planning to build a permanent disposal facility to treat water leach purification residue at its Gebeng plant.

Several civil society group are against Lynas continuing its operations and have signed a petition urging the government to discontinue its operating licence. – August 1, 2019.