Malaysia extends licence for Lynas’ rare earths processing plant for 6 months

Malaysia on Thursday renewed the operating licence for a rare earths processing plant owned by Australian miner Lynas Corp for six months with new conditions, ending a long-running dispute over radioactive waste disposal at the site.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board, an agency under the environment ministry, said in a statement that Lynas’ processing plant in Kuantan, on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, will be given a six-month extension of its operating licence. The original licence was due to expire on September 2.