Lynas Urges Minister to Recuse Himself from Final Appeal Hearing on Reversing Malaysia's Ban on Radioactive Waste Production.

Atom Malaysia, formerly known as Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board, recently granted Lynas's refinery operating license in Gebeng, Pahang with certain conditions for three more years, starting from March 3, 2021, until March 3, 2026. This has been reported by Reuters.

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Lee E She wrote a blog post. Here is a rephrased version: Lee E She penned an article on her blog.

It's currently 9:57 AM in Malaysia on Friday, April 28th of the year 2023.

The Australian company, Lynas, which mines rare earth, has asked the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Chang Lih Kang, to recuse himself from the appeal hearing scheduled for today. Lynas is looking to challenge the conditions set by the Malaysian government that might cause its licence to operate in the country to be revoked.

As per an article in The Straits Times published today, Lynas claimed that Chang had initiated a "political propaganda" against them, which diminishes the possibility of receiving a just hearing.

It is being suggested that the current minister, just like his predecessor from the previous government, is creating demanding conditions with the aim of compelling the shutdown of the factory.

An unidentified source was quoted as stating that the problem at hand is that it is required by law for the minister to make a decision regarding the appeal.

Malaysia's Atomic Energy Licensing Board, also known as Atom Malaysia, has granted Lynas a new operating license for its refinery in Gebeng, Pahang. This conditional renewal will allow Lynas to continue operating for another three years, starting from March 3, 2021, to March 3, 2026.

The government of Malaysia has set out some requirements to stop the creation of harmful radioactive waste in the country before July of this year. These terms include activities that cause cracking and leaching, leaving behind water leach purification residues. Furthermore, the import of lanthanide concentrates from Australia has also been prohibited.

Chang stated previously that if Lynas did not adhere to the four conditions placed upon them, their license may be taken away.

As per The Straits Times report, the government's stipulations would have a significant impact on the manufacture of uncommon metallic elements that are indispensable in making gadgets like mobile phones, electric cars, and military equipment.

The closing of the establishment could cause trouble for the worldwide production of rare earth which holds significance in geopolitics. At present, China holds control over 80% of its production. A Singaporean newspaper stated this.

According to the latest company quarterly report, Lynas stated to the newspaper that its Malaysian factory will be forced to shut down in the middle of July unless Putrajaya reconsider the licensing requirements.

Therefore, there will be a very low amount or possibly no output for the next three months until the new refinery's ability to produce increases.

Before the official hearing, Lynas stated that they have submitted reasons for their appeals, along with proof related to those reasons and requests for permission to continue operations until the appeals have been resolved. This information was reported by The Straits Times.