TOXIC OR NOT, NAJIB REGIME RENEWS LICENCE FOR LYNAS
KUANTAN – The full operating stage licence for Lynas Corporation Ltd’s rare earth refinery here has been renewed for another three years, until September 2019.
The mining company said in a statement that the renewal followed a rigorous review by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and other independent Malaysian regulatory bodies.
“We are delighted that our licence has been renewed, reflecting four years of safe operations at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP).
“Lynas now has four years of operational data showing there has been no increase in background radiation levels 1km, 5km, 10km or 20km from the plant.
“There has been no adverse impact on the nearby residents of Kuantan or the surrounding villages and all water discharges have been measured to be safe at all times for the community,” said Lynas chief executive officer Amanda Lacaze.
She added that Lynas has continued to provide online real-time operational readings directly to the authorities, which were also accessible to the public via the AELB and Department of Environment websites.
“Lynas is committed to continuing to be a valuable contributor to the Kuantan and broader Malaysian communities, and the renewal of the licence is an essential foundation to that commitment,” she said.
In response, anti-Lynas group Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas said Lynas had assumed that the community here was merely concerned over the issue of radiation.
“If AELB has agreed to renew LAMP’s operating licence for another three years based on this point of submission, we wish to remind all members of the board that all the commitments and written undertakings by Lynas in regards to the management of the radioactive water leach purification wastes and identifying a location for the permanent disposal facility have yet to be fulfilled,” it said in a statement. – ANN
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from Malaysia Chronicle http://ift.tt/2cpptl8
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