Lynas PDF 72 Per Cent Complete, Full Completion Expected By 2026 - Chang

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- The construction of the permanent disposal facility (PDF) for Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s (Lynas) radioactive waste has reached 72 per cent completion and is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2026.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said the progress was slightly behind the original target of 82 per cent but remains satisfactory overall.

“The PDF is being constructed in stages, and so far, four cells, namely Cell A, Cell B, Cell C, and Cell D, have been completed. The process of filling these cells with water leach purification (WLP) waste is currently underway,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Chang was replying to a supplementary question from Jamaludin Yahya (PN-Pasir Salak), who had asked about Lynas’ radioactive waste management strategy, including the need for a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and long-term mitigation measures.

Regarding the implementation of the HIA on the community surrounding Lynas’ operations in Gebeng, Pahang, he explained that the study was not deemed necessary at this stage, as there have been no reports of increased health cases in the area.

“This HIA will be conducted if necessary, and so far, we have not received any feedback from the Ministry of Health (MOH) indicating the need to implement it. There have been no relevant reports to date,” he said.

Responding to Jamaludin’s original question on compliance with international standards, Chang said Lynas is required to adhere to the Radioactive Waste Management Plan approved by the Department of Atomic Energy (JTA), which covers legal compliance, monitoring, and risk mitigation measures.

He said the JTA also conducts periodic inspections to ensure that Lynas’ operations comply with the Atomic Energy Licensing Act (Act 304) and the conditions of its licence, in addition to carrying out radiological monitoring within and outside the plant area.

“The monitoring results found no increase in radiation levels, and the radiation exposure data showed that it did not exceed 1 millisievert per year for the public and 20 millisieverts per year for workers,” he said.

Responding to a supplementary question from Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) on the government’s long-term plans to address radioactive waste storage issues, Chang said radioactive materials from other sectors, such as medicine and research, are managed by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency under strict regulations in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards.

He said Malaysia currently has two permanent disposal facilities - one in Lahat, Perak, with a capacity of 90,000 metric tonnes, and another in Gebeng, Pahang, with a capacity of 1.6 million metric tonnes.

“With the establishment of the SES Fund (special fund to manage radioactive waste), we hope to manage radioactive waste more effectively and systematically,” he added.

-- BERNAMA