The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) has confirmed receiving a long-term waste management plan from Australian mining corporation Lynas for its rare earth refinery in Gebeng.
However, AELB director-general Raja Datuk Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan said the plan would not be considered submitted until the board is satisfied that Lynas had fulfilled all requirements set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“We have received the long-term waste management plan from Lynas but we have not analysed it yet.
“The plan will not be made public as I do not consider it submitted until we make sure it is in accordance with international standards,” he said when contacted.
On June 30, a nine-member IAEA expert panel had identified 11 issues in which it said improvements were necessary before the next licensing phase of the Lynas project could be conducted.
Among others, it recommended that the AELB requires Lynas to submit, before the start of operations, a plan setting out its intended approach to long-term waste management, in particular the management of the water leach purification solids after the closure of the plant.
Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas chairman Tan Bun Teet had urged the relevant ministry and authorities to openly state whether the documents have been submitted.
He said at a press conference that if the Government had received the plan, then the public should be allowed full access to the documents.
“The Government should be thoroughly transparent in a matter that affects the lives of 700,000 people,” said Tan.
