Anti-Lynas lobby forms legal team to fight disposal facility

A legal team has been put together to challenge the establishment of a permanent disposal facility (PDF) for the radioactive waste generated at Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd's rare earth refinery.

The construction of the PDF is a key requirement for Lynas to keep its operations licence for its Gebeng plant.

DAP Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Ronnie Liu said a team of 10 prominent lawyers has been formed to scrutinise Lynas' every move in setting up the facility.

"The soil, water and other relevant tests are being done. So pending that, we will go after Lynas," he told Malaysiakini today.

Liu said the team, which was finalised last Friday, will include lawyers from civil society, but declined to provide any names.

Like the Gebeng refinery, he added, the PDF will also raise concerns among the local community.

"I don't think the locals will agree," he said. 

The exact site for the PDF has not been determined. It was previously reported that five locations in Pahang have been shortlisted – Lepar, Luit, Padang Tengku, Bukit Ibam and Chini.

"The only suitable place to build the PDF is in a desert... It's near impossible," Liu said, citing concerns of possible groundwater contamination.

Liu was also sceptical of Lynas' ability to obtain approval to shift its cracking and leaching operations – the phase that creates the water leach purification (WLP) waste – back to Australia.

Lynas mines rare earth ore from Mount Weld in Western Australia before shipping it to Malaysia for processing.

The company agreed to pre-process the ore in Australia as part of the conditions of its licence renewal, after Putrajaya said it would not allow the unlimited accumulation of waste here.

On Aug 15, the government announced that Lyna's operating licence would be extended for six months, but with the condition that it constructs a PDF to store its radioactive waste.

"The construction of the PDF must be expedited to minimise the risk from the WLP stockpile that is now at more than 580,000 tonnes at the temporary residue storage facility, which is exposed to major floods," said the Atomic Energy Licensing Board.

AELB also requested that Lynas shift the cracking and leaching phase of operations overseas within four years, and terminate efforts to commercialise the WLP waste.

Public anger has not abated despite the stringent conditions, as Harapan leaders had in the past promised to shut down the Gebeng plant altogether.

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