DAP MPs raise more questions on Lynas thorium extraction plan

 

Three DAP MPs critical of Lynas’ operations in Gebeng, Kuantan have raised further questions on a proposal to remove radioactive materials from mining waste via thorium extraction.

Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka), Chow Yu Hui (Raub), and Tan Hong Pin (Bakri) cited recent explanations given by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang.

“The government has announced that this new proposal (thorium extraction) was proposed by Lynas and accepted by AELB.

“However, AELB deputy director Muhammad Rawi Mohamed Zin at a recent forum said the initiative came from the AELB and not Lynas,” said the MPs in the joint statement released during a press conference in Parliament.The proposal was for the Australian mining company to use thorium extraction as a new method to remove radioactive material from some 1.2 tonnes of its waste product, Water Leached Purification (WLP), currently stored here.

The forum cited by the three MPs was hosted by environmentalist groups on Nov 18.

Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong

At the event, government representative Rawi said AELB pitched the proposal as “there is a market” for the radioactive material.

Noting this, the MPs reiterated how AELB’s statement was in contradiction with Chang’s statement last month that Lynas met the government with the thorium extraction proposal.

“We also seek an explanation from the government, what and where will be the market for thorium?

“According to experts from the Institute of Economy, Energy, and Financial Analysis, all nuclear reactors powered by thorium around the world are still in the experimental or demonstration phase and yet to be commercially launched,” they said.

Laboratory scale

Last week, Chang sought to assure the Dewan Rakyat that thorium extraction is a viable technology, even though the process had only been carried out at a laboratory scale before.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang

He also said Lynas can extract about 700 tonnes of thorium out of the 1.2 million tonnes of WLP residue stored near the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng.

Citing the minister’s response, the three MPs said the government has never disclosed the amount of sample tested in the laboratory, and whether it can be carried out on a scale large enough for 1.2 million tonnes of radioactive waste.

Chang previously addressed questions about Lynas from Chow, Khoo, and others, in the Dewan Rakyat, during a winding-up speech for his ministry’s Supply Bill 2024 committee stage debate.

He had said it is up to Lynas to decide how to deal with the extracted thorium, but even if it intends to sell it, storage for the materials must comply with AELB regulations.

The revised licensing conditions for Lynas still require the company to construct a permanent disposal facility for the WLP residue. - Mkini