The Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) is currently studying a letter of undertaking submitted by Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd in regard to financial security and waste management.

Speaking at AELB's weekly media briefing today, the board's director general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan said this is one of several letters of undertaking which Lynas is required to provide.

“There are more (letters required). We are looking at the letters very closely from a legal point of view so that Malaysia is covered.

“We need the attorney-general to give the nod so that we can tie Lynas down in a court of law (if anything happens),” he said.

He also stressed that the temporary operating licence (TOL) has not yet been issued.

He said that there could be a “misunderstanding” resulting in a news report which quoted Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamad as saying that the TOL has been issued.

Raja Abdul Aziz said that AELB is also making preparations to appoint a third party to review the documents submitted by Lynas.

Rare earth unregulated in US, EU

Meanwhile, AELB special officer Noor Hasnah Mohd Khairullah said that claims that AELB’s public display analysis were derived from the answers of those who viewed Lynas documents in the public display period in January.

“It was not a survey or an opinion poll,” she said.

 

She said that only 334 people registered to view the documents and 1,123 comments were received, indicating that each person had commented more than once or those who commented did not view the documents.

She also added that it is not true to say that there are no rare earth processing plants in Europe and the United States.

She said that in these places rare earth is considered to have very low radioactivity to be regulated.

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