AELB says will close Lynas plant if waste agreement broken

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) assured Malaysians today it will shutter Lynas Corporation’s rare earth plant in Kuantan if the Australian mining firm violates conditions on the disposal of radioactive material.

According to Star Online, the regulator reminded at its weekly media briefing today that that firm had already struck an agreement with local authorities here for it to return any radioactive waste to Australia if it fails to set up a permanent disposal facility here.

This, said AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, is despite Lynas’s pledge that all residues from the plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, would be recycled into products that can be sold.

“The board has approved a temporary operating licence (TOL) to Lynas but we have not issued it.

“Whether Lynas can proceed with its operations in June (as claimed by Lynas) remains to be seen,” the English daily quoted him as saying during the briefing.

Putrajaya recently said the Sydney-based Lynas Corp had sent a letter of undertaking to the government, promising to send its rare earth processing residue abroad if it cannot find a suitable waste disposal site in Malaysia.

But in response, anti-Lynas group Himpunan Hijau scoffed at the undertaking and demanded International Trade Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamad reveal which foreign destination would accept such large amounts of toxic waste.

“Where exactly is ‘abroad’? Identify and prove to us which country outside of Malaysia is willing to accept this massive [volume of] toxic waste. Tell us which third world country Lynas will invade and pollute next. We want to know the full details,” the group’s chairman, Wong Tack, had asked.

The anti-Lynas lobbyist also demanded to know how much radioactive waste the miner plans to accumulate as well as the duration these would be stored at a temporary dumpsite before being shipped out.

He claimed in his statement that the proposed local dump is located in an unsuitable swamp area in the Gebeng industrial zone, on the outskirts of coastal Kuantan

Independent unit for construction audit at Lynas

KUALA LUMPUR: An independent monitoring unit will be formed to undertake a construction audit at the Lynas Corporation's rare earth refinery plant in Gebeng, Pahang to ensure compliance to all standards imposed by the appropriate and relevant professional bodies, the Malaysian government said today.

It said even though the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) announced its decision to award a Temporary Operating License (TOL) to Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd on Feb 1, 2012, the issuance is subject to the company fulfilling five conditions.

One condition is for Lynas to submit to AELB details of the plans and location of a proposed permanent disposal facility that will manage the residue, if any, generated by the factory.

The submission must be made within 10 months from the date the TOL is issued.

"This requirement must be complied with regardless of any alternative proposal Lynas may make for the management or disposal of the factory residue (e.g. recycling, conversion into products that can be sold, etc.)," the government said through a joint ministerial statement by four ministers whose portfolios are directly associated with Lynas' applicatin to set up and operate the plant.

The ministers are International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad; Science and Technology Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili; Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas; and Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Other conditions stipulate Lynas must agree to provide a US$50 million security deposit to the government, with AELB having the right to appoint an independent expert assessor to evaluate Lynas' compliance with the safety and good practices requirements. "Any Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) proposed by Lynas shall be located remotely and away from populated areas. 
"All residue and waste water shall be fully treated meeting stipulated standards prior to discharge. There will be zero discharge of industrial waste water," the statement said.

It added that the government will continue to engage in a transparent and open manner.

"We have done so at every stage of this engagement -- by inviting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide us with an independent assessment of the situation, by offering opportunities for public comment and feedback in the case of the IAEA visit and most recently, the public display of Lynas documents.

"We would like to encourage all concerned parties to visit the Lynas plant site and Lynas should do the necessary to facilitate this," the statement said.

It also said that the government is constantly listening to public views and will continue to address the concerns of the people. -- BERNAMA

Read more: Independent unit for construction audit at Lynas - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/independent-unit-for-construction-audit-at-lynas-1.50434#ixzz1nTADHQi0

~bagusla kalo dah tubuh unit monitoring n audit..pastikan setiap mklumat smpi kepada penduduk la...jgn putarbelit plak....

ISU LYNAS : JGN MARAH PENDUDUK YG MEMBANGKANG

~ASSALAMUALAIKUM

Isu LYNAS makin hot plak skrg nie....kalau projek ni selamat...prove to us by showing the Environmental Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment that should be done by DOE state..of cozla negeri Pahang punya...cmna DOE bleh silent pasal isu nie? so, show us the report....so that there will be no more against for it...Tapi kompom la xdak repot kan..tu pasal la DOE PAHANG snyap jee... Prof Zai sndiri pon kesal pasal nie...jgn disbbkan projek ni melibatkan menteri2 yg '''big''' so xleh nk bt assessment...jujurlah dlm pekerjaan kamu...knapa nk smbunyi benda btol

ulasan dr buletin utama plak kalo kena radiasi p jmpa doc? ellloo..utk pengetahuan org2 tv3 n all media....radiasi wont effect us in short term period....ala senang ckp mcm cancer la...dok sihat2..tetiba 10 thn dr skrg sakit...n sah kanser...cmtu gak la kesan radiasi nie...skrg mmg xkan nmpk effect...tu la menteri kita nie time xjd pa bleh la dok kata selamat...it is safe...proven safe...tapi bila jd masalah besar nnt..jgn nak melatah plak...jgn nak kesal bila ada kematian or wat ever health problem encounter...nak cakap pasal isu nie kena ada ilmu...xleh pakai main bt statement ja....

public pon bleh google je pasal effect radiasi nie...x sush dah zmn skrg...so dont lie to public and dont keep promising that everything gonna be fine

jom tgk keratan paper nie

PETALING JAYA: The Oovernment has reviewed the rare earth project of Lynas Corporation and found it scientifically safe, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

bleh explain skt review mcm mana? ada buat monitoring ke? ada bt assessment ke?  

 

He said the Opposition parties were playing up the issue in order to get votes.

~~~ hahaha...ni lg lawak...xde maknanya PARTI2 lain nak angkat isu ni utk PRU..buang masa ja...isu ni mmg serius pon...xdak kepentingn pon utk parti2 politik tu...public sndiri dah realize so jgn la nk politikkan isu nie....

ni ada statement lg nie:::

The Lynas rare earth processing plant in Gebeng, Pahang, known as Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp), is not a nuclear reactor, but a chemical processing plant.
Irresponsible parties, however, have been painting a different picture about the project and manipulating the issue, including feeding Kuantan folk with misleading information for political mileage.
Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had said while addressing delegates at the Pas Muktamar in June last year: "I like to bring your attention to the Lynas issue, which was raised by our delegates.
"The issue should be referred to our expert. We have a nuclear expert. Hulu Langat member of parliament Dr Che Rosli Che Mat holds a PhD in the nuclear field."
During an interview with a private television station recently, Che Rosli, who is a nuclear scientist said: "They are frightening the public by saying that Lynas is a nuclear plant when its function is only to process natural materials like rare earths from Mount Weld in Western Australia, which has less radiation compared with an ore mine.
"The issue was brought up by the PKR. I've kept quiet and even been given a warning by the Pas information bureau not to comment.
"I accepted it and have been silent. But this is unfair. They have been making comments in every issue of Harakah in a tone we are uncomfortable with."
When asked if Lynas is really a nuclear plant, Che Rosli said: "I am embarrassed. I am also a Pas member. So finally, I decided, as a nuclear expert, I should come forward to speak.
"Let people talk as they wish," said Che Rosli, who assured the people in Kuantan that they need not fear the presence of the plant.
On Friday, Che Rosli reiterated that the plant was safe and the project should proceed as long as the company adhered to strict safety standards and regulations to ensure that the health and safety of the residents were protected.
Che Rosli, an expert in nuclear science, graduated from a university in the United Kingdom.
The Malaysian government has attached strict conditions for Lynas to comply with to ensure the health and safety of the workers, the public and the environment.
The special conditions are: Lynas is required to submit to the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) details concerning the location, construction and management of a permanent disposal facility (PDF) that will accommodate the waste generated by the factory; the PDF proposed by Lynas shall be located in a remote area away from populated areas, and Lynas is required to give a Letter of Understanding to remove and relocate overseas all waste generated.
All the waste from the plant shall be fully treated, meeting stipulated standards prior to discharge. There will be zero discharge of untreated industrial waste water.
The gasses released from the Lynas plant shall be treated by Lynas according to international standards and monitored by the relevant authorities continuously to ensure they are safe to be released through the plant stacks.

Read more: Nuke expert: Lynas plant is safe - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/nuke-expert-lynas-plant-is-safe-1.51982#ixzz1nT7ZJ4qR

fine la kalo mcm tu...kita pon berdoa utk yg terbaik dan mohon perlindungn dr sgala masalah buruk yg akan timbul...keep on monitoring this project and explain to the people nearby about the project...jgnla nk melenting..sapa x marah kalo bt kilg besar dkt dgn umah kita...nk tido pon xsenang..aishhh...p la cr tmpt yg xdak penempatan ke apaka...