Landfill near Kuantan as proposed as Lynas' radioactive residue storage site

Jabur Jerangau Landfill, 30 minutes drive from Kuantan, is being proposed to be made the permanent deposit facility (PDF) for Lynas' rare earth processing plant to house its radioactive residue.

"There was a proposal to create a permanent deposit facility (PDF) for Lynas at the Jabur Jerangau Landfill," said Abdul Rahim Muda, chairperson of the Pahang Local Government and Housing Committee during the state legislative assembly sitting today.

"However, the proposal is subjected to the guidelines, conditions and approval from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change," he told Lee Chean Chung (Harapan-Semambu).

A search on Google map showed that Jabur Jerangau Landfill sits 16km south of the Lynas plant and 30km from Kuantan. It is 13km from Gebeng and 10km from Balok.

Without naming the locations, Abdul Rahim said Lynas has proposed to turn three dumpsites as its PDF locations.

Lee had asked about the latest status of Lynas' new PDF.

"How many sites have been identified? Has the site been finalised and decided ?" he asked.

On Aug 15, the cabinet has given Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd a six-month licence extension subject to conditions, effective from Sept 3.

Lynas was granted six months to identify a suitable site to construct its PDF backed by state government's written permission.

The Australian miner must expedite its construction of PDF for its water leach purification (WLP) waste which currently stockpiled at the temporary residue storage facility at its Gebeng plant.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Lee questioned the choice of Jabor Jerangau Landfill as the site is near a residential area.

"There are resident at Jabor Jerangau, and it is not far away from Gebeng and Balok. Will this fulfil the criteria of a PDF, which is to stay away from the population?

"It is very obvious that Lynas picked the venue to reduce its cost of transportation and to maintain its profit," he said in a text message.

"There is a need to obtain an expert report on whether (Jabor Jerangau) fit to be made a landfill for radioactive residue. All aspects, including soil texture, groundwater and the distance of the land surface, should be considered," he added.

Lee expressed unhappiness with the lack of transparency from the state government in dealing with the PDF issue.

"The state government should be more transparent. It should disclose the three locations and progress of the application on its own initiative," he said. - Mkini