STRICTER conditions for rare earth mining company Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas) to extend its operating licence aims to end the production of radioactive residue in the future.

Deputy Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis said Lynas now has to submit a plan for the construction of a cracking and leaching facility overseas to relocate the process being carried out at its Gebeng plant.

“The cracking and leaching facility abroad must be constructed and commence operation in four years from the date of the validity of the licence.

“Once the cracking and leaching facility starts operating overseas, licence holder (Lynas) will no longer be allowed to produce radioactive residue exceeding 1 Becquerel per gramme at its plant in Gebeng,” she said during oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today in reply to Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera), who wanted to know the government’s reasons for allowing the Lynas plant in Kuantan to continue its operations and its impact on the health of the people.

Isnaraissah Munirah said the renewal of the Lynas operating licence was approved by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) for six months beginning August, with stricter conditions to be met by the Australian-based company.

She said it was aimed to ensure that Lynas operations, especially waste management, were safe for the surrounding population.

“The new conditions were decided following the decision of the ccabinet based on the recommendation by the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant Operations Evaluation Executive Committee in its report in November 2018,” she said.

She also said that the permanent disposal facility was to ensure long-term management of water leach purification (WLP) residue, as opposed to storing it, as previously allowed at its residue storage facility (RSF).

She said the AELB would carry out periodic checks on Lynas operations in addition to conducting environmental sampling.

Referring to the Section 22 (1) of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304), she said if a licence holder violates any of the licensing terms, the government may revoke or suspend it for such period as it saw fit. – Bernama, October 21, 2019.