Lynas defends rare earths refinery amid radioactive pollution 'threat'
From: AP March 11, 2011 10:17AM
Rare earths mining can pose radioactive danger via thorium, found in the raw materials. Source: The Australian
A LYNAS rare-earths refinery in Malaysia faces strict regulating as opposition critics warn of the threat from radioactive pollution.
Malaysia said a $US230 million ($228.25m) refinery being built by Australian miner Lynas to process rare earth materials - critical for the manufacture of hi-tech goods - would be strictly regulated , but critics said yesterday that the risk of radioactive pollution was real.
The plant under construction in the state of Pahang is believed to be the first such facility outside China in decades - and aims to reduce Beijing's monopoly on the global supply of 17 rare earth metals essential for making products like flatscreen TVs, mobile phones, hybrid cars and even weaponry.
Critics worry about health and environmental risks posed by low-level radioactive waste from the site, and cite bitter lessons from a rare earth plant of Mitsubishi Chemicals that is still undergoing a massive clean-up after shutting down in 1992.
The Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board gave Lynas permission to construct the facility last year, but has not granted it an operation licence yet.
The agency’s director-general, Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, said: “The board is regulating it according to international standards and even beyond. We haven't begun licensing their (operations). They will have to demonstrate how they would treat the by-products and that would be assessed again.”
Lynas has defended the plant as environmentally safe and having ultra-modern pollution controls.
The Australian miner will refine slightly radioactive ore from its Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, which will be trucked to Fremantle and transported by container ship from there.
Lynas says the refinery is expected to be operational late this year and could meet nearly on third of world demand for rare earths, excluding China’s needs.
The US, Canada and Australia have rare earths but stopped mining them in the 1990s as lower-cost Chinese supplies became available. China has about 30 per cent of rare earths deposits but accounts for 97 per cent of production.
Beijing announced in 2009 that it would reduce rare-earth exports to curb environmental damage and conserve supplies.
Manufacturers were alarmed when China temporarily blocked shipments to Japan last year, during a dispute over islands claimed by both governments.
Concerns over China’s grip on rare earths have led countries on a hunt for alternative sources.
Decreasing supply and strong demand sparked a surge in rare earths prices, prompting companies in the US and Australia to start work on developing or reopening rare earths mines.
Malaysia's last rare earth refinery, at Bukit Merah in Perak state, opened in 1985 but shuttered seven years later following protests and claims that it caused birth defects and leukaemia among residents nearby. It remains one of Asia's largest radioactive waste cleanup sites.
Lynas told AP the Malaysian plant “will set a precedent for leadership in environmental performance with a new global benchmark in rare earths processing”.
It said the radioactive element, thorium, in its raw material from Mount Weld was 50 times lower than that in Bukit Merah. Lynas also said waste products with low levels of thorium could be converted into safe by-products such as cement aggregate for road construction.
“In practical terms, at these levels, exposure to radiation is less than taking a flight on a commercial airline or using a mobile phone,” it said.
The Australian miner said it has agreed to place funds with the Malaysian government to ensure safe management of any remaining residue once the plant stops operations, but didn't give details.
Lynas has inked an agreement to supply up to 70 per cent of its output to Japan and has said the rare earths will be shipped directly to that country, as well as the US and Europe.
Malaysian opposition politician Fuziah Salleh, who has lobbied against the Lynas plant since 2008, said yesterday there were fears that plant wastewater could seep into the waterbed, polluting the nearby river and sea and harming the fishing industry.
She also questioned how the project would benefit Malaysia since Lynas was granted a 12-year tax break and hiring would be limited since the plant is not labour-intensive.
“Malaysia will just become a dumping ground. We will not accept toxic waste being dumped on our shores,” she said.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
MANY PAHANGITES ARE STILL NOT AWARE HOW BAD THIS TOXIC TO THEIR NEXT GENERATION.....
SOME KUANTAN FRIENDS SAID IT IS OK AS THEY HAVE NOT SEEN HOW HAZARDOUS OF THIS PRODUCTS.....
SO, GO AHEAD..................
AND WAIT FOR 10 YEARS TO SEE THE "RESULT"!!!
SO, KEEP ON VOTING BN AND WAIT ANOTHER 10 YEARS!!!
THIS IS LIFE.
AS MANY TREAT IT LIGHTLY.......SMALL MATTER.
SO, THEY WILL VOTING BN....
THANK YOU PAHANGITES---APPRECIATION BY LYNAS AUSTRALIA.
(LYNAS AUSSIES LAUGHING ALL THE WAY WITH BN, ESPECIALLY UMNO, MCA AND GERAKAN POLITICIANS........AFTER BUKIT KOMAN SCANDAL....)
(THAT'S WHY THE PLANE LANDED AT PERTH, AUSTRALIA ON 31ST AUGUST, 2011...THANK YOU LYNAS FOR YOUR GOOD WORK AND AUSSIES PM--FOR YOUR KIND AND COMPLIMENTS OF TOXIC TO PAHANGITES.....THOUSAND THANKS TO HEALTH KILLER--LYNAS AND AUSIE PM ONCE AGAIN!!! WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WISH U GO TO HELL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!)
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
季度报告谎称积极跟居民沟通
傅芝雅投诉莱纳斯误导投资者
2011年9月28日
中午 12点58分
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公正党关丹国会议员傅芝雅继续追击莱纳斯的稀土厂计划。她最近向澳洲当局投诉莱纳斯在第二季度报告中发表不实讯息，企图误导投资者。
她指出，尽管莱纳斯宣称已准备好两份国际独立专家评估小组要求的报告，但它却始终没有公开相关报告。
另一方面，莱纳斯在季度报告宣称，遵照小组要求，已加强跟受影响方面的沟通。但事实上，它从未跟关丹民众进行沟通。
傅芝雅因此致函澳洲证券和投资监管委员会（ASIC）投诉这家澳洲矿业巨头，狠批它撒谎，也从未向大众公开上述两份报告。
不满莱纳斯隐瞒二报告
傅芝雅（左图）在志期9月27日的投诉信中指控，莱纳斯在其截止6月30日的2011年第二季报告指出，该公司计划在7月18日将“废料管理长远计划报告”呈交原子能执照局，以满足评估小组所开出的首个条件。
同时，莱纳斯正在拟定关闭工厂后的安全方案，预料在8月时呈给该局。
报告也指出，莱纳斯也准备在7月18日，向原子能执照局提呈一份更新版本的辐射影响评估报告，以符合评估小组的第2项条件。
不过，傅芝雅大表不满，炮轰莱纳斯从未将有关报告公诸于众，也从未在撰写报告期间咨询公众意见。
斥莱纳斯诈骗误导群众
莱纳斯在报告也声称，本身已积极与利益相关者或受稀土厂影响的人士沟通。
但傅芝雅指出，莱纳斯这项说法形同误导公众的企业诈骗行径，因为莱纳斯从未会见当地居民。
“当稀土厂准备在今年杪投入生产之际，莱纳斯谎称接洽公众，却避谈它正面对当地居民强烈抗议。”
傅芝雅促请澳洲证券和投资监管委员会强制莱纳斯更正其第二季度报告，或公开所有相关的报告。
国际评估小组设11条件
根据国际独立专家评估小组在6月30日所出炉的报告，稀土厂的建筑符合国际安全辐射标准，惟它也提出11项条件，要求大马政府、原子能执照局和莱纳斯全盘落实后，才可发出稀土厂准营运执照。
第一项建议：原子能执照局必须要求稀土厂在投入运作前，提呈一份废料管理长远计划和安全方案，尤其是在工厂关闭后，如何处理水沥滤净化固体（water leach purification solids）。
这些安全方案事项包括未来所动用的土地、公众的辐射剂量安全标准、评估时限、安全功能和鉴定储藏辐射废料地点的方式等。
第二项建议：原子能执照局须规定稀土厂在投入运作前，必须提供一个计划，阐明如何在关闭及拆除工厂后，处理残余的辐射废料，也应该因此更新其辐射影响评估和拆厂的计划。
莱纳斯从未接洽当地居民
第十项建议：莱纳斯身为负责提炼稀土安全事项的单位，应该加强与利益相关者的沟通，以证明它是如何确保公众和环境的辐射安全。
该公司首席执行员尼可拉斯（Nicholas Curtis）当时即时回应，莱纳斯有信心在今年杪符合所有条件，并预期稀土厂将将如期运作。
无论如何，关丹当地反稀土厂组织“救大马”委员会主席陈文德早前指出，自评估小组报告出炉至今，莱纳斯和政府从未接洽当地居民。
目前，位于关丹以北35公里格宾工业区的稀土厂，已经进入第二阶段的建筑工程，料将在今年杪竣工。
