nuclear-news

Rare Earths company has no proper radioactive waste management plan

Unlike the Lynas plant, the other three refineries’ radioactive wastes are sent back to the respective mines.

“Lynas has no concrete radioactive waste management plan. Lynas claims it can store its waste onsite forever.

The Lynas plant, she added, would have 500 tonnes of liquid discharge per hour channelled into the Balok River.

Lynas whitewashing refinery safety concerns, says Fuziah, The Malaysian Insider, By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal April 16, 2012 KUALA LUMPUR,  — PKR’s Fuziah Salleh has accused Lynas Corp of whitewashing safety concerns of its planned refinery in Kuantan by claiming there is a “concerted political campaign” against the plant’s construction,
In response, Fuziah  accused the Lynas Corp head of “deviating” from the real issue of safety, saying that a simple comparative study showed the Lynas refinery did not support any form of “sustainable development.”

“They are not addressing concerns of safety, whitewashing safety concerns, silent about safety issues. “They have only addressed radiation aspects, external radiation… they are narrow-minded in terms of perspective of radiation,” the PKR vice-president told The Malaysian Insider.

Fuziah said comparing the planned Lynas plant in Gebeng, Pahang, the
Molycorp rare earths plant in Mt Pass, California, the Arafura plant
in Whyalla, Southern Australia and Ashton in Australia showed
“alarming stark contrasts.”

Unlike the Lynas plant, the other three refineries’ radioactive wastes are sent back to the respective mines.

“Lynas has no concrete radioactive waste management plan. Lynas claims it can store its waste onsite forever.

“It also claims to have completed research to commercialise the
radioactive waste from the various waste streams,” said Fuziah.

The Lynas plant, she added, would have 500 tonnes of liquid discharge per hour channelled into the Balok River.

Comparatively, Molycorp and Arafura had “zero liquid discharges”,
explained Fuziah.

“For Ashton, an estimated 10 per cent will leach into the ground.”

“He (Curtis) is patronising by saying that opposition to the plant
will hurt Malaysia’s investment.

“Just because you bring in revenue, it does not mean you can tell us
what to do,” she said.
Lynas must have the decorum to implement here the same stringent
standards that they have to practise in Australia,” said the PKR MP.

The High Court had last week ruled against a local resident group’s
attempt for a review of the government’s award of a temporary
operating licence for the RM700 million Lynas Advanced Materials Plant
(LAMP) in Gebeng.

Last Tuesday, Lynas Corp’s Malaysian subsidiary said the plant would
be ready to fire up operations in three weeks’ time.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lynas-whitewashing-refinery-safety-concerns-says-fuziah

April 18, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Malaysia, Uranium, wastes