Kuala Lumpur,  3 March – Greenpeace Malaysia expresses deep concern over the government’s decision to grant a 10-year operating licence extension to Lynas Malaysia, despite unresolved long-standing issues surrounding radioactive waste management and regulatory transparency.

While the government has announced that the generation of Water Leach Purification (WLP) residue will cease by 2031 and that no additional Permanent Disposal Facilities (PDFs) will be constructed, these measures do not resolve the fundamental issue: significant volumes of radioactive waste already accumulated in Malaysia will remain stored domestically.

Granting a long-term licence extension before fully resolving legacy waste management concerns risks normalising regulatory leniency in matters involving radioactive materials. Radioactive waste management is not a short-term compliance exercise; it is a multi-generational environmental and public health responsibility.

The government has stated that WLP residue generated within the next five years will be neutralised to below one becquerel per gram (1 Bq/g). However, regulatory thresholds alone do not guarantee public safety. Public trust depends on transparent methodology, independent scientific verification, and continuous, publicly accessible monitoring data.

Greenpeace Malaysia stresses that independent, third-party scientific oversight must be mandatory and institutionalised, not discretionary. Real-time transparency, independent auditing, and clearly defined enforcement mechanisms with measurable compliance benchmarks are essential safeguards, not optional enhancements.

“Malaysia’s participation in the global rare earth supply chain must not come at the expense of environmental governance integrity. If safeguards are truly robust, they should withstand independent scrutiny and full public transparency,” said Heng Kiah Chun, Campaign Manager of Greenpeace Malaysia.

Malaysia must also uphold its commitments under the ASEAN Environmental Rights Declaration and relevant international environmental frameworks. As global demand for rare earth materials increases, environmental protections must be strengthened, not weakened. This includes supporting stronger due diligence standards and full lifecycle governance in line with resolutions 5/12, 6/5 and 7/3 adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly to ensure Environmental Sound Management (ESM) across mining and processing activities.

Greenpeace Malaysia calls on the government to:

  • Mandate independent scientific review of radioactive waste management;
  • Ensure real-time, publicly accessible environmental monitoring data;
  • Define enforceable compliance benchmarks with clear legal consequences for non-compliance;
  • Clarify the long-term strategy for accumulated radioactive residues beyond the current licensing cycle.

Malaysia’s environmental governance must remain precautionary, transparent, and accountable,  especially when radioactive materials are involved.

-ENDS-