THE government has extended Lynas Advanced Materials Plant’s operating licence for a further six months subject to conditions, said the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).

Among the conditions for the licence renewal is the construction of a cracking and leaching facility overseas, said the AELB.

“The said facility must be built and operational within four years from the date of the licence. 

“Once the facility is operational overseas, Lynas will no longer be allowed to produce radioactive residue above 1 Becquerel per gram at its refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan,” the AELB said in a statement today.

The Australian rare earth mining company has also been tasked with identifying a place to build its permanent disposal facility (PDF) or show the relevant approvals to move its water leach purification (WLP) residue out of Malaysia.

“Lynas must submit its construction and financing plans for the operations of the PDF,” the AELB said.

“The company must also obtain the necessary approvals to transport its water leach purification (WLP) out of the country,” it added.

Meanwhile, Lynas has been told to stop all its research and development work on using WLP radioactive residue as condisoil for agriculture purposes.

“Lynas must contribute 0.5% of its annual gross sales to the federal government as additional indemnity until its overseas cracking and leaching facility is operational.”

The AELB said the conditions were decided on after Canberra and the Western Australia state government had told Malaysia it would not be accepting any WLP residue from Malaysia.

“Work on the building of a PDF must commence immediately to minimise the risks arising from a natural disaster, such as floods, as the WLP residue (at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant) has already breached 580,000 tonnes,” the AELB said.

The plant has been operating in Gebeng, Kuantan, since 2012, refining rare earth metals mined from Mount Weld in Western Australia. 

The Lynas facility was previously given three-year licences. Lynas is currently the biggest producer of rare earth materials, which are used in various consumer electronics products, including military equipment. – August 15, 2019.