The Malaysian operations of Australian rare earths manufacturer Lynas, except for its mixed rare earth carbonate manufacturing unit, will cease operations in mid-November.
“During the shutdown, key personnel from the Malaysian cracking and leaching plant will be deployed to assist with the start-up process in Kalgoorlie, Australia,” it said in its latest quarterly report, released today.
The shutdown, according to a Lynas Malaysia official, is just temporary.
If the license limitations barring the import and processing of lanthanide concentrate persisted, Lynas had stated in April that it intended to temporarily shut down its Malaysian facilities or have a period of deficient production.
Chang Lih Kang, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, declared on 9 May that he would not reconsider his decision to deny Lynas’ petition to lift the four license requirements imposed by the Atomic Energy License Board.
On 28 April, the ministry held a tribunal behind closed doors to discuss the petition to lift the four restrictions placed in March 2020 that forbade importing and processing rare earth materials.
By 1 July, Lynas must only refine intermediate materials at its facility in Gebeng, Pahang, and move the cracking and leaching of lanthanide concentrate to an area outside of Malaysia.
Due to this, Lynas submitted two requests for judicial review of the terms of its operating license in Malaysia in July.
In its quarterly report, Lynas also stated that it planned to upgrade its downstream operations in Malaysia to increase its capacity to produce neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) to about 10,500 tons annually.
According to Lynas, the cracking and leaching facility will also need maintenance if they update its operating license to permit the continuous import and processing of lanthanide concentrate.
The Malaysian operations of Australian rare earths manufacturer Lynas, except for its mixed rare earth carbonate manufacturing unit, will cease operations in mid-November.