KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 23): Three DAP lawmakers have called on the government to review the decision to renew Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd's operating licence until it successfully proves its ability to extract thorium from the radioactive residue it currently holds.
During a news conference in the Parliament building on Thursday, Raub Member of Parliament Chow Yu Hui stated that although the government has assured that the Australian rare earths producer has demonstrated the success of its "experiment" in removing thorium from its existing residues, the authorities have not disclosed the number of laboratory test samples.
"Do not forget, there are 1.2 million metric tons, equivalent to five hills of radioactive waste, accumulated behind the Lynas factory. Can Lynas manage this volume of radioactive waste with this so-called new technology?" asked Chow.
Saying that other factories would be held responsible if they were found to cause water pollution, Chow questioned why Lynas had been treated differently despite accumulating 1.2 million tonnes of radioactive waste in the country.
"If factories found to dump waste into the river causing river pollution need to be closed down and even have their licences suspended, it is not reasonable that Lynas' licence can be renewed so many times without any action taken against them," added Chow.
Chow also pointed out that if the government imposed a ban on plastic waste imports, allowing Lynas to import potentially harmful radioactive waste to the environment and residents is inconsistent.
Thus, Chow urged the government to review Lynas' licence renewal and halt the thorium extraction project. He suggested that Lynas relocate its cracking and leaching (C&L) activities, as well as thorium extraction, to Australia, believing it could bring greater profit to Lynas.
Also present at the news conference were Bakri MP Tan Hong Pin and Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong.
Tan cast doubt on Lynas' ability to remove thorium from radioactive residue, emphasising that the technology is still in the demonstration phase.
"Even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that thorium extraction technology is very challenging and requires a huge budget. So, how much thorium can Lynas remove and scale up to commercial scale?" Tan questioned.
On Oct 24, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang announced that Lynas Malaysia’s operating licence has been renewed, allowing the company to continue importing and processing rare earths until March 2026.
The government also lifted the ban on Lynas Malaysia's C&L activities and allowed it to import naturally occurring radioactive materials on the condition that the company is required to extract thorium from the water leach purification residue until the radioactive content meets the required level as set by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board.
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