Govt identifies sites with rare earth mining potential
Acting Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said this is based on a review by the Minerals and Geoscience Department (JMG).
"Based on studies under the 11th Malaysia Plan, the JMG identified inferred REE resources amounting to 16.1 million metric tonnes.
"However, further studies are still needed to determine the quantity of measured resources and eventually, mineable reserves.
"A further review by JMG estimated approximately 144,220 hectares of land outside PFR as having potential to be developed into REE mines, subject to further assessment and relevant approvals," he said in a written parliamentary reply.
He added that the REE industry must be developed across the entire value chain, encompassing upstream, midstream, and downstream levels in line with the policy framework outlined in the National Mineral Policy 3 in a responsible and sustainable manner.
He said to ensure REE mining operations are conducted safely, sustainably, and responsibly, JMG, as the main technical agency will regulate mining activities through the enforcement of the Mineral Development Act 1994, including pollution control and operational safety monitoring on a periodic basis.
"Taking Perak as a regulatory model, this oversight is further strengthened by the establishment of the Perak State REE Mining Technical Regulatory Committee, which involves collaboration from 10 technical agencies at both the federal and state levels," he said.
He added that the ministry has also appointed the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to conduct an environmental impact assessment study on REE mining on forest ecosystems.
This includes preliminary studies conducted at the REE mining project in Mukim Kenering, Perak, where REE extraction takes place on a rubber plantation.
"In terms of technology, the current REE mining project in Mukim Kenering, Gerik, Perak, is being carried out using in-situ leaching (ISL) methods in collaboration with Chinese technology partners.
"However, it is the ministry's policy to encourage the development of local expertise, particularly in the upstream and midstream sectors, through structured and progressive technology-sharing initiatives.
"The government is committed to ensuring that the development of this industry strikes a balance between economic potential and public concerns including pollution risks, water source safety, public health, and local technological capacity," he said.
Johari said the government would continue efforts through collaboration and partnerships with various stakeholders to ensure the development of Malaysia's REE industry achieves the goals of economic prosperity, societal well-being, and environmental sustainability.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) who asked the ministry's position on REE, findings of studies that led to the ministry's decision to encourage REE mining activities, and how the ministry is balancing public concerns regarding pollution risks, technological limitations, water source safety, and public health in the interest of the public.
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