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Save Malaysia: The LYNAS Refinery

A SAVE LYNAS MALAYSIA WHAT AUSTRALIAN COMPANY LYNAS IS BUILDING A - RARE EARTH REFINERY IN KUANTAN, MALAYSIA. Rare earth elements are metal. There are 17 types of metal including Lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium. It is used for manufacturing a wide range of high- technology products including electronics like smart phones and electric cars. THE REFINERY HOW BIG 250 ACRES OF RECLAIMED COST: TROPICAL SWAMPLAND. USD$250 MILLION WHICH EQUALS: 250 FOOTBALL FIELDS FUNCTION The refinery will process concentrated rare earth using heat and thou- sands of tons a year of powerful sulfuric acid to separate the valuable minerals from dirt and radioactive contaminants. WHERE GEBENG, PAHANG, MALAYSIA This is where the refinery is located. It is an environmentally sensitive area next to an important mangrove area and the pristine South China Sea. A significant proportion of Malaysian seafood is caught here, and its neighbouring areas are residential. MOUNT WELD, AUSTRALIA This is the Australian desert where rare earth will be mined from. PORT FREEMANTLE, AUSTRALIA The port where rare earth will be trucked to, and subsequently shipped to Malaysia. WHEN WHY MALAYSIA? TAX O Construction started 4 years ago and is expected to operate at the end of Q2. HOLIDAY JUNE 2012 TAX HOLIDAY NATURAL GAS COST The Malaysian govern- ment offered Lynas a 12-year tax exemption which at 25% corporate taxes will amount to billions of ringgit. Malaysia's natural gas industry produces very large quantities of sulfur necessary for the refinery. Malaysian engineers earn considerably less than Australian engi- neers. WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? #1 THE WASTE Every year the plant will produce 91,600 m3 of waste con- taining radioactive materials (Laporan RIA, Lampiran 27) Every hour 99344mNm³ of gas will be produced and released into the atmosphere (laporan EIA, Overal Process Block Flow Diagram) ДДл ддд д т дл Пп Т п П п шДл Д. THAT EQUALS TO 1 FOOTBALL FIELD OF 4 STOREYS IN HEIGHT PER YEAR п т п п п ДДл пл ш пп шп Every day it will release water waste of about 12,0000 m³ (laporan EIA, lampiran 215) ПП %3D шД Ддд ддд дд т д П п П п ш пШ THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO 5 OLYMPIC-SIZED POOLS OF WASTE WATER PER DAY THAT'S ABOUT 90 COOKING GAS TANK WORTH OF GAS EVERY HOUR VALID CONCERN: THERE IS NO SOLID PLAN AS TO WHERE TO DISPOSE OF THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE. Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Norman Moore, asserted that “Australia does not support the importation and storage of other countries' radioactive waste". -Free Malaysia Today, 21 February 2012. BALOK RIVER SOUTH CHINA SEA A significant proportion of Malaysian seafood is caught here. Tourism for the surrounding areas also based on the pristine coastal ecosystem. The waste water will be discharged into the South China Sea via this river. RESIDENTIAL AREA 700,000 people reside in the neighbouring area of about 30km from the factory. #2 CONSTRUCTION FLAWS Engineers detail that there are structural cracks, air pockets and leaks in many of the concrete shells for 70 containment tanks. AkzoNobel withdrew from supplying resin to the refinery because Lynas did not fix the rising dampness in the floors and cracks in the walls of the tanks. H "More critically, the toxic, corrosive and radioactive nature of the materials being leached in these tanks, should they leak, will most definitely create a contamination issue." -Peter Wan, the general manager of Cradotex, 1 February 2012. #3 PAST MISTAKE -I LYNAS ISN'T THE FIRST REFINERY PROJECT IN MALAYSIA, OUR LAST PROJECT IS NOW ASIA'S LARGEST RADIOACTIVE WASTE CLEANUP SITES. US$100 BUKIT MILLION MERAH 4.8KM MITSUBISHI CHEMICALS Amount spent by Mitsubishi chemi- cals to remove every The location of the The amount of hill first rare earth that has to be cut refinery in Perak, Malaysia which was shut in 1992 after violent protests. off to entomb the radioactive waste in scrap of its former rare earth refinery. the core of the hill. WHAT'S IN IT FOR MALAYSIA? THE PROJECT IS THE ESTIMATED AUSTRALIA'S PROFIT THE PRO- USS2.3 JECT WILL YIELD IN BILLION THE FIRST YEAR LARGEST INVEST- MENT IN MALAYSIA THIS IS HOW MUCH PERCENTAGE OF THE 1% IT WILL CONTRIB- UTE TO MALAYSIA'S ENTIRE ECONOMIC PLANT'S REVENUE 0.05% THAT WILL GO TO THE YEAR MALAYSIAN ATOMIC OUTPUT ENERGY LICENSING BOARD APPROXIMATELY CONTRIBUTION TO %$4 350 JOBS WILL BE LOCAL SPENDING AVAILABLE TO AND TAXES BY LOCALS LYNAS' EMPLOYEES INFOGRAPHICS BY I.M. MAGAZINELM. imag.com.my References http://savemalaysia-stoplynas.blogspot.com/ http://mynewshub.my/eng/2012/02/the-truth-about-lynas/ http://www.nytimes.com http://helpvictor.blogspot.com/2012/02/akzonobel-withdraws-from-lynas-malaysia.html http://savemalaysia-stoplynas.blogspot.com/ http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/46980-malaysia-approves- temporary-license-for-lynas-rare-earths-plant http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/26/nation/20120226090255&sec=nation http://www.nkkhoo.com/2012/02/26/3000-5000-15000-or-30000-in-himpunan-hijau-2-0/ http://www.thesundaily.my/news/304851 http://eddydaud.blogspot.com/2011/06/lynas-rare-earth-processing-plant-issue.html http://www.thesundaily.my/news/297626 http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/174344 © 1.M. Magazine 2012 %24

Save Malaysia: The LYNAS Refinery

shared by ninjashrew on Mar 01
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A useful quick guide to the radioactive refinery built by Australian company Lynas in Kuantan, Malaysia., next to one of the world's most beautiful South China Sea. What everyone should know about.

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