Perak govt received RM1.66mil royalty from rare earth carbonate exports, says MB

IPOH: The Perak government has received royalty of RM1.66mil from the first exportation of rare earth carbonate (REC) to China, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

He said the royalty was on the 296.2 tonnes of REC sent in February.

“From February until April, a total of 4,477.039 tonnes of REC were exported to China. There are some 1,000 tonnes at the site right now," said Saarani.

He added that the pioneer non-radioactive rare earth element (NR-REE) mining project started in October.

“It has received all the needed approval from technical agencies and authorities in the state,” said Saarani in his reply to a question from Goh See Hua (PH-Pasir Pinji) during the state assembly sitting at the Perak Secretariat building here on Wednesday (May 25).

Saarani said the state has also identified three strategic locations to process the NR-REE, adding that the Perak government is committed to setting up a processing plant as it can produce higher-value products.

“We have informed the Federal Government and proposed three locations in Muallim, Bandariang in Hulu Perak, and Silver Valley Technology Park in Kanthan, Kinta," he said.

“We believe that the processing plant should be set up in Perak since we are the pioneers of the project,” added Saarani.