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DECISION ON LYNAS OPERATING LICENCE SOON?

Australia hopes it will be based on Review Committee’s recommendations, says high commissioner to Malaysia

• New Straits Times
• 12 Mar 2019
• AZMAN ABDUL HAMID [email protected]

Andrew Goledzinowski
AUSTRALIA believes that the Malaysian government is nearing a decision on the extension of Lynas’s operating licence and hopes that it will be based on the government’s Review Committee’s recommendations.
Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Andrew Goledzinowski said his government was “waiting for the final determination in the matter”.
“But, it seems that any changes to licensing conditions should be based on the government’s Review Committee’s recommendations,” he told the New Straits Times.
Goledzinowski urged Malaysia to accept the Review Committee’s recommendation last year that Lynas complied with all conditions which qualified the company for an extension of licensing.
However, he said, the authorities had asked Lynas to export stockpiles of waste product from its processing plant by Sept 2 when its licence was due for renewal, a move that went against the licensing conditions.
A move to change licensing conditions would be unfair to Lynas as it was inconsistent with licensing stipulations and the Review Committee’s recommendations, said Goledzinowski.
“Lynas’ operating licence requires it to examine commercialisation options for the residue. This is consistent with international best practices. If that proves impractical, then the licence calls for permanent storage.
“This is also the recommendation of the Review Committee. Lynas is required to look at exporting the material only if the two options are unavailable.”
Goledzinowski was commenting on a recent NST report that Lynas had high safety standards and there were no reports of environmental or health problems since the company started operations in 2012.
Lynas has succeeded in finding commercial applications for its residue with the discovery of Condisoil, a type of multipurpose fertiliser, which should exempt the company from exporting it.
However, Kuantan member of parliament Fuziah Salleh recently said Lynas should suspend the production of the water leached purification residue at its rare earth refinery if it failed to dispose of the stockpiles by that date.
On continued protests by an anti-Lynas group, Goledzinowski said they had every right to express their views, as long as it was done peacefully and based on facts.
He said it was the local authority’s right to regulate industrial operations in line with its laws, regulations and licensing procedures.
“We prefer an outcome that can enable the industry to continue to employ thousands of Malaysians in a safe and proper manner.”
Rare earth gets its name from the scarcity of several earth elements. They have special properties and are used in applications and devices, such as catalytic converters, nickel metal hydride batteries, energy efficient electrical motors, electronics, energy efficient fluorescent lamps and magnetic resonance imaging machines.
The Lynas plant was envisioned to promote multiple downstream industries, like electric vehicles and hybrid cars, electronics, renewable energy, the oil and gas sector and defence applications.