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Dr. Lee indicated that the rare earth raw materials will be processed soil and packing the powder before being exported to Malaysia to take a 4,000 km journey from Australia. |
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| Audience of more than 100 people. |
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| Map of Lynas Advance Material Plant (LAMP) |
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| Step processes LAMP |
We urge to stop all LAMP operation now. We reject shipment of radioactive materials* onto our shore. We prohibit dumping of radioactive wastes* in our beloved country. *Regardless how safe and no matter how low radioactive Lynas/ Authorities claim the materials would be. |
What they claimed? | What does it really mean to us? |
“Vast job opportunity will be generated” | LAMP is not labour intensive and its processor primarily automated. Only total of 450 employees (including expatriate , skilled, unskilled) needed full operation (ref: Malaysia Chronicle, 31th March 2011) |
“skilled workers who will be given the best knowledge on the processing of the rare earth …* (refer: Malaysia Insider, 12th Apr 2011). “Technology/ knowledge transfer” (ref: Preliminary EIA, Environ) | Total rare earth reserves in Malaysia is merely 35,000 tonnes or 0.023% of world’s rare earth deposits (ref: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2008); Malaysia is not a conventional major rare earth producing country; we produced only 380 tonnes of REO in 2008 and 2009 (ref: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2010), thus transferring knowledge in rare earth does benefit the country considerably. |
“LAMP to generate USD 1.7 billion, almost 1% of Malaysia annual GDP (2010)” (ref: NYTimes, 8th Mar 2011) | Malaysia offered 12 year tax free holiday to Lynas. The revenue generated from LAMP will be channeled to Australia and Lynas’ shareholders. |
“the ration of thorium to rare earth metals found in its concentrated raw was 55 to 10,000 while the Bukit Merah operation had 12,000 parts thorium to every parts of rare earth,” Lynas (ref: Malaysia Insider, 12th Apr 2011) | ржд his comparison does show Thorium content was higher in Bukit Merah than in the Lynas FEED. However, this also suggest in order to produce 22,000 tonnes/yr of REO, the LAMP will generate a massive 120 tonnes of radioactive Thorium every year. (22,000/ 10,000 tonnes x 55 = 120 tonnes) |
AELB demonstrated at Kuantan hall, that Geiger counter low radioactivity at 0.2 mSv/hr from the rare earth process waste sample (ref: Malaysia Insider, 6th Apr 2011). | LAMP has not begun production; source and authenticity of waste sample remain questionable. Further, radioactivity was measured based on minute amount of sample (emitted by Thorium) can be filtered away (ref: IAEA). This result does not signify the real circumstance of copious of copious tonnage of Thorium compounds stored in Gebeng. |
“the levels are absolutely different with japan, no comparison. Even after 70 hours (of exposure to our waste), all you get is an x-ray …” Lynas. (ref Malaysia Insider, 12th Apr 2011, interview with N.Curtis). | This claim based upon the radioactivity level of 0.2 mSv/hr. An X-ray scan incur 1.4 mSv/hr x 70 hr (ref: Wikipedia). However, production of 120 tonnes Thorium compounds every year can release exceptionally higher than just 0.2mSv/hr. |
“at 1600 ppm, concentrates shipped to Malaysia was not considered radioactive materials.” Lynas and AELB. | Note the 1600 ppm refers to the Thorium content in the FEED Minerals to LAMP (ref: Lynas; see page 1), not in the wastes. |
“The radioactive level of Lynas residue is only is 1/300th of the Asian Rare Earth residue (6.7 Bq/g vs 1900 Bq/g).” (ref: M, James Lynas Corporate communications, Writestreet, 31th July 2009). | Our calculation shown 6.7 Bq/gram corresponds to 1600 ppm Thorium again, referred to the Thorium content in the FEED Minerals to LAMP. It is incorrect Lynas to focus on radioactivity level of FEED but failed to clarify the radioactive Thorium-containing wastes, which will be stayed in Gebeng, potentially for years. |
AELB DG, Raja Aziz pointed out tighter controls the 1600 ppm of thorium that Lynas had promised. Raja Aziz said “Lynas was confident of keeping thorium levels in its waste to 1600 ppm compared to the amang tin tailings used in Bukit Merah which produced 80,000 ppm of thorium in its waste.” “You can just tabur (scatter) everywhere” – AELB DG. | As above, the 1600 ppm Thorium in FEED Mineral is being emphasized again. It unwise AELB to give such remarks to create a false perception. Radioactive level may be low in the FEED Minerals, however after the REO is extracted, Thorium will be concentrated and subsequently disposed as waste. No comment being made on radiation risk due to higher Thorium concentration in the wastes. |
Lynas PLANS to mixed the iron-bound thorium with Lime to dilute it to thorium concentration of less than 500 parts per million (ppm) – the maximum permitted under international standards to allow the material to be disposed with few restrictions. However, Lynas admitted to not having a commercial application yet. (ref: Malaysia Insider, 12th Apr 2011, Interview with N.Curtis). Raja Aziz also said that Lynas must stay under 500 ppm of thorium in its waste or to be told to cease operations. | How is this (Diluting and storing such vast amount of waste) commercially and technically feasible remain in great doubt. LAMP will produce 120 tonnes of Thorium every year, if such quantity of Thorium has to be diluted to 500 ppm, an additional of 220,000 tonnes of waste to be generated every year! It is extremely concerned if Lynas would practice this (Thorium dilution); and how 220,000 tonnes/yr of radioactive waste can be stored safely. |
“It’s not that Lynas does not have the solution. The solution (storage dams) has been agreed. Now Lynas is going beyond the standards,” (ref: Malaysia Insider, 12th Apr 2011). | Lynas has not disclosed the technical details of the Thorium treatment, nor its storage system. All we know it is a “temporary” Tailing Storage Facilities on site that made of clay and HDPE, long term storage remained unresolved (ref: The Star Online, 11th Mar 2011). Without these details, the repeated reassurance of safe storage by Lynas remain dubious. |
“We will not let them accumulate that much. We will stop them. They cannot be accumulating that much. There must be a parallel process” Raja Aziz, AELB (ref: Harakahdaily, 19th Apr 2011) | Lynas has no detailed plan of disposal nor of Thorium-compund wastes (ref: The Star Online, 12th Mar 2011). There is only way to accumulating this waste, that is to stop the entire process. |
Dr. Ahmad Tarmizi, a UTM says that thorium exist in the environment naturally. Lynas and AELB have also given a similar remark. (ref: The Star, 10th Apr 2011). “Iron phosphor gypsum” has a very low level of naturally occurring thorium which is the source of very low level radioactivity.” Lynas (ref: NST 14th Apr 2011) | It is irrelevant to quote the Thorium content in natural environment. For comparison, the average amounts between 8 to 12 ppm (ref: Wikipedia); Thorium in Mt. Weld mine is reportedly 400 ppm; Thorium in the Concentrates or FEED Minerals to LAMP is 1600 ppm (ref: Lynas). After REO is extracted from the FEED minerals, the Thorium concentration and its radioactivity is unquestionably greater than that occurred naturally in the soil, sand, earth crust etc. |
"In response to a court deadline, today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from power plants. The new power plant mercury and air toxics standards – which eliminate 20 years of uncertainty across industry – would require many power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to cut harmful emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases, while preventing as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year. The new proposed standards would also provide particular health benefits for children, preventing 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year. The proposed standards would also avert more than 12,000 emergency room visits and hospital admissions and 850,000 fewer days of work missed due to illness."
"The proposed standards also ensure that public health and economic benefits far outweigh costs of implementation. EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, the American public and American businesses will see up to $13 in health and economic benefits. The total health and economic benefits of this standard are estimated to be as much as $140 billion annually."via EPA, 03/16/2011
Plant | State | Coord. | MW | Type | Owner/operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimah Power Station | Negri Sembilan at Lukut | 2°35′11″N101°43′21″E | 1,400 | Thermal (2 ST) | Jimah Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd |
| Manjung Power Station | Perak at Manjung | 4°9′44″N100°38′48″E | 2,295 | Thermal (3 ST) | TNB Janamanjung Sdn Bhd |
| PPLS Power Generation Plant | Sarawak in Kuching | 110 | Thermal (2 units) | PPLS Power Generation, a subsidiary of Sarawak Energy Berhad | |
| Sejingkat Power Corporation Plant | Sarawak at Kuching | 100 | Thermal | Sejingkat Power Corporation Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary ofSarawak Energy Berhad | |
| Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Power Station | Selangor at Kapar | 3°7′1″N101°19′1″E | 2,420 | Thermal (6 ST), open cycle (2 GT), natural gas and coal with oil backup | Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd |
| Tanjung Bin Power Station | Johor at Pontian | 1°20′3″N103°32′55″E | 2,100 | Thermal (3 ST) | Tanjong Bin Power Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malakoff |
