Lynas Corporation has announced a new three-year operating license in Malaysia which will take its operation to March 2023. There are however some key conditions placed on the license and these include:
- Lynas to begin the process of developing the Permanent Disposal Facility within the first year from the date of the approved license.
- Lynas must submit a work development plan for the construction of the Permanent Disposal Facility and report on its development status as determined by the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing board
- Lynas must ensure that the Cracking and Leaching plant outside Malaysia is in operation before July 2023. After that period, Lynas will no longer be allowed to import raw materials containing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material into Malaysia.
- Holding of the financial deposit will be maintained for compliance with the relevant license conditions.
As part of the licence conditions, the commitment to a Kalgoorlie Boulder facility is further strengthened. Lynas Corporation CEO and Managing Director Amanda Lacaze said “We also confirm our commitment to develop our Cracking and Leaching facility in Kalgoorlie Western Australia. We thank the Australian Government, The Government of Japan, The Government of Western Australia and the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder for their ongoing support of our Kalgoorlie Project.” Ms Lacaze also thanked the ALEB (Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board) for its decision to renew the operating license for Lynas for three years.