Lynas Corp. has been received approval from the Malaysian government for its rare earths processing facility.
The Atomic Energy Licensing Board approved a 2 year operating licence for the $200 million advanced materials plant at Gebeng.
Nic Curtis, the executive chairman of Australian company Lynas said that the doubt was not about them but about the Malaysian process. He was pleased that the process had met its legal and regulatory needs as prescribed.
There had been some concerns over the radioactive waste management at the plant which had led to some delays. The International Atomic Energy Agency had suggested last summer that a plan for permanent waste disposal be approved before the refinery starts operations. Now the company has the necessary approvals in hand to proceed with the construction. The refinery will be built in Kuantan in Malaysia. It is likely to open by the second quarter this year.
Mr. Curtis said that there had been much talk about a politicising of this by the government, but they have allowed the regulators, independently, to determine the licence issue. The company has been taken aback by some of the alarmist claims that have been made, but they have had to deal with them and try and get the proper information out there and the regulators have based their decision on fact, not emotion.