Lynas' PDF must be away from residences, says Zuraida
The permanent disposal facility (PDF) for waste produced by Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd's rare earth refinery should be located away from residential areas, says Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
"It should be away from residences," she told a press conference when asked about the criteria of the facility today...
The permanent disposal facility (PDF) for waste produced by Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd's rare earth refinery should be located away from residential areas, says Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
"It should be away from residences," she told a press conference when asked about the criteria of the facility today.
Zuraida added that the location of the PDF must pass all relevant tests and obtain certification before being approved by the local government.
"Once the (Pahang) government identifies the place, then all the agencies will go and check whether it is viable or not," she said, adding that her ministry would not play any part in identifying the location.
One of three conditions set by the cabinet in issuing Lynas a six-month extension of its operating licence was the setting up of a PDF to deal with the 580,000 tonnes of waste material currently stored within its Gebeng refinery.
Earlier this month, it was reported that several locations in Pahang had been identified as potential sites for the PDF, namely Lepar, Luit, Padang Tengku, Bukit Ibam and Chini.
However, Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail later denied this, saying that his government had not discussed the location of the PDF with Lynas.
When asked about this, Zuraida said she has no idea about the potential site.
Apart from setting up a PDF, Lynas also needs to move the cracking and leaching phase of its operations, which produces radioactive waste, out of the country within four years of the licence renewal.
The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) is also putting an end to Lynas' efforts to commercialise its water leach purification (WLP) residue, by turning it into the Condisoil fertiliser for agriculture.
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