LYNAS - Faktenthread, Analysen, Querverweise u. Meldungen zum Unternehmen (Seite 70)

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LONDON Asian Metal 8 Feb 13 – Buying activity in European cerium oxide markets has gradually slowed this past week as end users temporarily suspend orders until the conclusion of the Chinese New Year Holiday period. According to sources familiar with the market, January saw marginal but gradual improvement in downstream demand as end users, facing sharply depleted stockpiles, returned to the market to place orders for necessary material. Nevertheless, sources explained that most end users are still reluctant to place large orders as they believe China may make important industry announcements following the conclusion of the Chinese

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

LONDON Asian Metal 8 Feb 13 – Despite a brief, though marginal, uptick in demand this January, buying activity in the European praseodymium oxide markets has slowly tapered off this week as consumers choose to delay further purchases until the conclusion of the Chinese New Year. Nevertheless, despite the temporary respite for demand, sources believe prices will hold stable as suppliers are likely to keep prices firm in anticipation of resumed increases following the conclusion of the Chinese Spring Festival holiday. According to sources familiar with the market, many end users are starting to run low on stock and production needs will soon require

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PITTSBURGH Asian Metal 8 Feb 13 – Canada-based Focus Graphite announced that the company, along with its partner, SOQUEN Inc., has identified high grades of critical rare earth elements on the its Kwyjibo polymetallic property located in Quebec. The project, which is investigating iron ore, rare earths, copper, and other metals, returned high grades of up to 4.59% total rare earth oxides TREO in one subzone. The results were drawn from samples collected in the 2012 exploration program, which included surface and trench sampling. Other results were derived from...

[JoJo49]

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Category12-All.html
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http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article38786.html
Stock Market Rally Should Boost Discounted Rare Earth and Uranium Miners
Commodities / Metals & MiningFeb 01, 2013 - 12:55 PM GMT
By: Jeb_Handwerger

I notice with interest that the popular media is ignoring the World Trade Organization case against China for restricting exports of critical materials (REMX). This reduction of supply of the critical metals has a significant impact on the global economy.

These critical metals are not only crucial for your iPads and smartphones, but for our top secret, most advanced weaponry. Looking for substitutes for rare earths has proven to be a poor return on investment. For 50 years, they have been trying to find alternatives, only to find out that the chemical characteristics of rare earths are inimitable.
have been a major proponent of advancing domestic strategic mines in the U.S. and Canada. Recently, the U.S. Department of Defense partnered with one of our rare earth recommendations to advance studies.

This move may show investors that the our national security is dependent on domestic critical rare earth production. I would not be surprised to see Canada make a similar move to support rare earth mining and development.



Recently during the quiet holiday season, China (FXI) announced that they were tightening exports again on critical materials. Rare earth export quotas for next year will drop again. China claims that they are cutting back because of the weak global economy.

Nevertheless, stealthily China continues to announce infrastructure plans within the country, and has been stockpiling these critical materials for their own domestic demand. For months, we have been predicting a rebound in China's economy as iron ore prices began rising.

Now we read headlines that China's exports are very strong, even with a rising yuan (CYB). Risk assets such as the rare earths miners and uranium miners (URA) should rally on this news. More smart money from the investment community is realizing that China is far from a hard landing. In fact, they may be in the midst of a powerful recovery.



Exports have jumped to a seven-month highs despite the debt issues in Europe and the United States. This rebound in China may be a spark for the undervalued junior miners (GDXJ), which have been in a downtrend for close to two years as economists predicted a Chinese hard landing.

Many investors have been concerned about the recent Fed minutes, which indicated some sort of exit plan from quantitative easing. These accommodative actions to expand the Fed's balance sheet to record levels have boosted bonds (TLT), the housing (XHB) and the financial markets (XLF) with easy money.

We may be witnessing capital flowing to growing economies such as China. All these actions over the past few years by Central Banks could be starting an inflationary cycle, which could boost the undervalued commodities such as uranium and industrial/strategic metals.



China's equity markets are up around 20% in the past six months, far outpacing equity markets in Europe and the United States. Many do not realize yet that not only is China the world's biggest supplier, but their own economy has grown to a point where they may become the largest consumer of these materials as major industries continue to move their factories to China.

China continues to control the rare earth industry despite attempts from companies like Molycorp (MCP) and Lynas (LYSCF.PK) to begin production. Both companies have been plagued by delays and obstacles. Mining and refining rare earths is not an easy ballgame, as it requires advanced metallurgy and favorable geopolitics.

For decades, the world has been relying on cheap rare earths from China. Nevertheless, this will change rapidly over the next few years. The Chinese are especially short on the critical rare earths needed for permanent magnets, wind turbines, guided missiles and lighting, as they are building their own facilities to manufacture these finished products.

Molycorp and Lynas should be able to supply a large amount of light rare earths after they work out their issues. However, Lynas is still dealing with protestors in Malaysia, and Molycorp is dealing with delays and rising costs to start production. The disappointing performance in these two equities has hurt the entire sector.

In 2011 and 2012, we experienced a decrease in the price of the entire industrial metal sector as QE2 expired and the U.S. and European debt crisis intensified. However, we may be at a turning point for the undervalued rare earth and uranium miners as China leads a rebound.

Large amounts of quantitative easing in the U.S. were announced in the second half of 2012. The new Japanese government is also devaluing the yen to boost the Nikkei, while restarting nuclear plants. China is rebounding quickly, announcing infrastructure projects and starting construction on nuclear reactors. China is leading the world with building new reactors.



China's decreasing rare earth exports, combined with declining production and rapidly depleting heavy rare earth resources, could cause an even greater supply shortfall in 2013. China is consolidating the rare earth industry and cutting down on critical metal smuggling. This will help the Chinese have greater control of their own domestic production.

I will closely follow in my free newsletter both the critical heavy rare earth space and the uranium sector as Asia rebounds, as these metals are crucial for China's domestic needs. These rare metals are vital for our latest high tech devices, and there are only a few viable companies that can get into production in a timely manner.

In the rare earth mining sector, geopolitical support and infrastructure is crucial. In the uranium space, rising geopolitical tensions in Africa and the Middle East with Al Qaeda could cause increased interest in junior uranium developers in the Western Hemisphere.

Two ways of investing in these sectors is through the Rare Earth ETF (REMX) and the Uranium Miners ETF (URA). Both of these metals are critical for China's clean energy initiatives and Middle Eastern energy independence. The ETFs were poor performers in 2012 as fears of a slowdown in China increased. Now, they may represent bottoming situations, which I will be following closely for my readers.

Now, they may represent bottoming situations, which I will be following closely for my readers.

Subscribe to my free newsletter to get up to the minute updates on rare earths, uranium, gold and silver.

By Jeb Handwerger
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Rare Earth Industries:
Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
A Report by:
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia
&
The National Professors’ Council
AUGUST 2011

©Akademi Sains Malaysia 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise without the prior permission of the Copyright owner.
The views and opinions expressed or implied in this publication are those of the author and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Rare earth industries : moving Malaysia’s green economy forward /
a report by The Academy of Sciences Malaysia & The National Professors’ Council
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 978-983-9445-69-5
1. Rare earth industries--Malaysia. 2. Rare earth industries--
Environmental aspects--Malaysia. 3. Rare earth industries--
Governmental policy--Malaysia. I. Akademi Sains Malaysia.
II. Majlis Profesor Negara.
338.4754641

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
v
PREFACE
When it was reported that the Australian company, Lynas Corporation, was proposing to
establish a rare-earth mineral processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, with ore imported from
its mine in Australia, there were many objections from Malaysians as to the management of
the radioactive waste. The objections prompted the Malaysian Government to invite the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct an independent Study to evaluate the
risks. IAEA undertook the evaluation and produced a report on the proposed plant.
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), an independent science and technology “thinktank”,
and the National Professors Council (NPC), a body of more than 1,500 professors from
the public and private universities, decided that both organisations could jointly study the rare
earths issue holistically and comprehensively towards producing a report for the
Government’s consideration. We approached the issue from the view-point that, in the
subject of rare earths, there was much science, engineering and technology that would be
involved in their processing and development. ASM and NPC therefore initiated a
comprehensive Study on rare earth minerals, the rare earth industries (both upstream and
downstream) and their potential contribution to the Malaysian economy.
As far as risks and public safety is concerned we concur with the findings of the IAEA
Report.
Rare earths elements have found applications in high technology and in green technology
which is important to the development of Green Economy in Malaysia. The country’s
involvement in high technology is one of the required ingredients to become a high-income
nation. The report will definitely create awareness and interest in the rare earths industry. As
Malaysia is blessed with mineral resources, it is timely to revisit our mining industry to
embark on strategic elements used in high technology, such as rare earths, thorium, uranium
and others. MPN emphasises its continual support in research and development on rare earths
industry specifically and on other high technology industry generally.
The Study was undertaken by a Working Group, comprised ASM Fellows, NPC Professors
and others, which was charged to determine the economic potential of the Rare Earths
Industry and to assess their strategic importance to enhancing the green economy agenda of
the nation. This has been an enriching experience for all of us and hope that this would be
the template for future cooperation of scientific professionals, academia and technologists in
this country in trying to resolve challenges and issues impacting the nation from the S&T
point of view.
This Study Report, entitled “Rare Earths Industries: Moving Malaysia's Green Economy
Forward” is the culmination of the Working Group’s efforts and is yet another important
Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
deliverable of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. We are confident that the findings
contained therein would lead to taking concrete steps to developing potential rare earth
industries, both in the upstream and downstream sectors, in Malaysia towards realizing the
nation’s green technology agenda as a green growth area.
DATO’ DR. SAMSUDIN TUGIMAN PROF. DR. RADUAN BIN CHE ROSE
SECRETARY GENERAL SECRETARY
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES MALAYSIA MAJLIS PROFESOR NEGARA


Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward

PREFACE
The greatest risk facing humankind is global warming due to climate change. There will be no
habitable earth for our future generations if the adverse effects of global warming are not
mitigated starting now. Science, engineering and technology are able and ready. What is
lacking is collective global political will.
One of the most important drivers in propelling green technologies and economies to mitigate
global warming is rare earths. Our study reaffirms the well known fact that rare earths are
strategic in all high technology and low carbon industries like aerospace, consumer electronics,
medical, military, automotive, renewable wind and solar energy and telecommunications etc.
Our study also emphasizes that the mining and processing of rare earths do pose certain risks
to health, safety and the environment. There are available technologies and systems to
manage such risks. However, it is crucial that up to date legislation, monitoring, surveillance
and enforcement are vigorously pursued throughout the life of all such rare earths facilities.
Currently China controls over 95 % of global rare earth supply, fuelling global concern on its
possible adverse consequences on the development of green technologies. The Lynas
Advance Material Plant in Gebeng, Pahang is the only alternative supply source in the short
term. Malaysia is therefore strategically placed to develop her green technology industries,
thus contributing to low carbon economies throughout the world and helping to assure a
sustainable earth for future generations.
ACADEMICIAN DATO’ IR. LEE YEE CHEONG F.A.Sc.
CHIEF SPOKESMAN, ASM-MPN WORKING GROUP

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward

Executive Summary
Introduction
There is a famous saying, “Where there is risk, there is opportunity”. Rare earths present both
health and environmental risks as well as potential economic opportunities. However, the
risks are manageable thanks to improved technologies and a better understanding of the
implications on health and the environment. This explains why there is a rush by many
countries to reopen old mines and increase investment in the production of rare earths
concentrate and their high value downstream products. Why is there such a scramble to risk
money on rare earths? What have ignited global demand? Where are the opportunities? How
are the risks associated with rare earths managed? Can Malaysia benefit from this new
growth industry? What should be our strategies?
This report, produced by the joint Working Group of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia
(ASM) and the Majlis Profesor Negara (MPN), discusses the science of rare earths and their
business prospects; and proposes some strategic directions for Malaysia. The analysis is
based on information culled from various secondary sources as well as the group’s
engagement with experts from the Rare Earths Society of China.
Why Rare Earths?
Evidently, many factors contribute to the rush to invest in the unprecedented revival of rare
earths. One major reason has to do with the rapidly growing world demand. The other reason
relates to the attractive price of rare earths which is projected to stay strong in the coming
years. This is because supply is predicted to have difficulty keeping pace with demand.
Experts believe a major driver of global rare earths demand is the forecasted expansion in the
green economy.
Climate change is a major driver of the green economy. With climate change, there is
concern that the uncontrolled emission of the greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide,
can lead to catastrophic consequences for the world. This has been documented in countless
studies and reports.
Another important driver of the green economy is the growing shortfall in many resources.
The world is now experiencing declines in key resources to meet a growing global demand.
With more than 6 billion people now in the world and growing, the pressure exerted on
global resources including energy, water and food is a major concern. Recent demand surge
in China and India has dented the supply position of major world resources.

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward

The much quoted Stern Report from the UK has warned that, unless immediate steps are
taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it may be a costly exercise to undertake the
corrections later. Since energy use, especially fossil fuels, is a major contributor to climate
change, greener options are being sought. Add to that the fact that the fossil energy resources
of the world are declining, the need to seek alternatives becomes even more urgent. One
option is to change to renewable energy sources. These include such potentials as solar, wind
and biomass. Rare earths have somehow become a critical feature of the technologies in such
renewables.
Another option is to improve the efficient use of energy in transport, buildings and all the
other energy intensive industries. Again the technologies in energy efficiency rely a lot on the
use of rare earths. These include applications in energy efficient lighting, new and more
reliable energy storage batteries as well as more efficient energy distribution mechanism.
The growing demand for more efficient communication systems, not only in the world of
business but also in defence and the military, is another significant driver of the global
demand for rare earths. Mobility and miniaturisation, which feature prominently in the
current specifications for telecommunications equipments, rely a lot on the deployment of
powerful and efficient magnetic technology. And rare earths have become a much sought
after material in the latest magnets used in mobile phones, defence equipments and computer
hardwares. With the rise in the global investments in smart cities and intelligent communities,
the demand for such communication products is destined to witness equally prolific
expansion. This would inadvertently translate into a rising demand for rare earths.
Rare Earth Business
The value chain of the rare earths business involves mining, extraction, processing, refining
and the manufacture of an extensive range of downstream products which find wide
applications in such industries including aerospace, consumer electronics, medical, military,
automotive, renewable wind and solar energy and telecommunications. In fact the entire
gamut of the high-tech industries depends on a sustainable supply of rare earths elements.
The explosive demand in mobile phones is an excellent illustration of the massive potential
that the rare earths business offers. In a matter of less than 20 years, the number of cell
phones worldwide has reached a staggering 5 billion. Soon, going by the report of their
growth in sales, the world demand for cell phones may even exceed the global population!
Admittedly, the rare earths business does pose certain risks. Top among the risks are the
health and safety risks. The mining, extraction and refining of rare earths produce residues
and wastes which carry health and safety risks. The residues from the extraction and refining
are radioactive, while their effluent waste streams do pose pollution risks to the receiving
rivers and waterways. But, as clearly elaborated in a recent report by IAEA experts, there are
technologies and systems available to efficiently mitigate such risks. The risks are

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward

manageable. However, it is crucial that the risk and waste management procedures are strictly
followed and adhered to. This is where effective monitoring and surveillance throughout the
life of all such rare earths facilities is crucial. Fortunately, Malaysia’s regulatory standards on
rare earths follow international standards. In some areas, Malaysia’s regulatory regime is
even more stringent than the international guidelines.
Rare Earth Opportunities for Malaysia
Evidently, many reports cite Malaysia as having reasonably substantial amounts of rare earths
elements. In fact, based on the rare earths found in the residual tin deposits alone, Malaysia
has about 30,000 tonnes. This does not take into account unmapped deposits which experts
believe may offer more tonnages of rare earths. Brazil which is reported to have about 48,000
tonnes has announced plans to invest agressively in the rare earths business. China has on
record the largest reserves with about 36 million tonnes. This explains why China has
invested heavily in the entire value chain of the rare earths business. China’s committed
investment in rare earths started many years ago when the country’s foremost leaders
proclaimed the strategic position of rare earths in the world economy. That forecast is now a
reality where the rise in the green high-tech economy is seen driving global demand for rare
earths in a big way.
Malaysia needs to discover and venture into new economic growth areas. This will help fuel
the country’s drive to achieve a high income status by 2020 as articulated in the New
Economic Model (NEM) and the many supporting Economic Transformation Plans that the
Government has recently launched. Rare earths may be the new growth area for Malaysia.
However, the business opportunities should not just be confined to the mining, extraction and
production of rare earths elements alone if Malaysia is to maximise benefits from this
industry. The industry’s gold mine is in the downstream products. This is also the sector that
China wants to expand. Japan which now controls about 50% of the global market for
downstream rare earths-based high-tech components is desperately looking for partners to
grow their stake in the business. Malaysia needs to embark on the right strategies in order to
build the rare earths industry in the country.What are the strategies?
Rare Earth Strategies for Malaysia
Malaysia can take pride in the fact that the country has an illustrious history in the mining
business. The country was at one time a major player in tin and iron ore. In fact Malaysia was
a major contributor to the world tin market. It was only in recent years that mining has taken
a back seat to agriculture and manufacturing. Most of the country’s expertise in mining either
moved out into other sectors or joined the flourishing petroleum business. Any move to
venture into rare earths would not be difficult since mining is not entirely alien to the country.
It will be a revival of the mining business. And with the tin market now looking better thanks
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Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
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References
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element
[2] http://www.geology.com
[3] http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/
[4] Dr. Doris Schüler, Dr. Matthias Buchert, Dipl.-Ing. Ran Liu, Dipl.-Geogr. Stefanie
Dittrich, Dipl.-Ing. Cornelia Merz, “Study on Rare Earths and Their Recycling”, Final
Report for The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, Darmstadt, January 2011.
[5] Kingsnorth, D., IMCOA: “Rare Earths: Facing New Challenges in the New Decade”
presented by Clinton Cox SME Annual Meeting 2010, 28 Feb – 03 March 2010, Phoenix,
Arizona.
[6] Fairley, P.: Windkraft ohne Umwelt, Technology Review, 20.04.2010, download from
http://www.heise.de/tr/artikel/Windkraft-ohne-Umweg-985824.h…
[7] World Wind Energy Association (WWEA): Table “Wind Power Worldwide June 2010”,
published on http://www.wwindea.org/home/index.php, last access: 30.11.2010
[8] Oakdene Hollins Research & Consulting: Lanthanide Resources and Alternatives, A
report for Deparment for Transport and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
March 2010.
[9] Daily News, June 15, 2010: Stron Global Consumer Electronics Growth Forecast.
[10] den Daas, K.: Lighting: Building the future, New York, March 5, 2008.
[11] Press center of Trendforce Corp: LEDinside: Compound annual growth rate of LED
light source reaches 32 %. 14.01.2010, http://press.trendforce.com/en/node/373
[12] DisplaySearch 2010: Graphik on globale TV sales and forecast, cited in: Hevesi, M.:
DisplaySearch: LCD-TV-Markt wächst weiter, LED setzt sich 2011 durch, 0.10.2010,
PRAD Pro Adviser, http://www.prad.de/new/news/shownews_alg3719.html
[13] British Geological Survey: Rare Earth Elements, June 2010.
[14] Angerer, G., et al: Rohstoffe für Zukunftstechnologien, Fraunhofer Institut für Systemund
Innovationsforschung ISI, Karlsruhe in cooperation with Institut für Zukunftsstudien
und Technologiebewertung IZT gGmbH, Berlin; 15 May 2010, Stuttgart.
[15] Pillot, C.: Present and future market situation for batteries, Batteries 2009, Sep30th – Oct
2nd. 2009.
[16] The Economic Times: Toyota to launch lithium battery Prius in 2011. Reuters, 17 Apr
2010, download from http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-byindustry/

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
53
auto/automobiles/Toyota-to-launch-lithium-battery-Prius-in-2011
Report/articleshow/5823862.cms
[17] Avalon rare metals inc.: Rare metals information, download from
http://avalonraremetals.com/rare_earth_metal/rare_earths/, download in Nov 2010

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
54
Chapter 4:
Rare Earth Industries: Strategies for Malaysia
4.1 Introduction
If in the 70s and 80s, the concern over food security sparked the “green revolution” which
transformed global agriculture, it is clear now the world is undergoing another “green
transformation”. This time the concern is not about food security, but no less important is the
threat posed by a host of worrying global trends. These include, as elaborated earlier, the
changing climate, the depleting resources and the deteriorating natural support ecosystem.
Such trends threaten to not only derail global economic growth, but may also upset the social
fabric of human existence and sustainability.
It is clear from the evidence presented earlier; energy is arguably at the centre of this threat to
human survival. This is because use of fossil energy, especially coal, contributes the most to
the changing climate. Admittedly fossil energy is highly preferred because of its
comparatively lower cost. However, at the same time, the supply of fossil fuels is also fast
depleting. Unless new economic oil wells are discovered, very soon the world will run out of
petroleum. In Malaysia, experts predict that the country’s oil may soon run out by as early as
2019. Already Malaysia’s power system is dependent on imported coal to increase its power
generation capacity. Is this sustainable?
Over the last quarter of a century, the world economy has quadrupled, benefitting millions
whilst billions in developing countries are still left in abject poverty. At the same time, 60%
of the world’s major ecosystems have been degraded. This is because the economic growth of
recent decades has been achieved mainly through drawing down natural resources, without
allowing stocks to regenerate. This has led to widespread ecosystem degradation and loss.
Water is also becoming scarcer. Overconsumption and wastage are ascribed as the root cause.
And water stress is projected to increase due to climate change and global population
explosion.
This is what drives the green economy around the world. Green consumerism is now on the
uptrend. Green investment has suddenly become attractive. There is a rise in green financing.
New cleaner technologies have emerged through years of R&D. These include technologies
in renewable energy, cleaner production and more efficient energy storage, distribution and
consumption. The value of the global green economy is predicted to witness a boom in the
coming years. Countries which do not invest in green energy now may live to regret the day
when others are seen extracting dividends from their investment.
4.2 Rare Earths in Renewable Energy and Microelectronics
Among the many alternative sources of energy, a lot of attention has been focused on wind
and solar. Though much progress has been made, there are still major stumbling blocks in
their commercial development. One has to do with their prohibitive costs which have yet to
meet the lower costs offered by fossils. The current methodology in comparing investment of
electric power generation alternatives in fossil fuelled power plant against renewable power

Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
55
plants overemphasizes the economy of scale whilst disregarding any cost penalties due to
carbon emission and resource depletion. Solar and wind power are intermittent, the former
cannot generate during darkness and the latter without wind. When deployed in big scale,
they can cause unacceptable power swings in the power grid lessening the reliability of power
supply. Effective energy storage technology needs to be developed for power grids to better
manage their large energy swings. Recent years have seen the recognition of the unique
attributes of rare earth elements in such applications. As a result, the global demand for rare
earths in magnets, batteries, superconductors and lasers, has witnessed a major surge. The
incorporation of rare earth elements in the electromagnets used in wind turbines would
significantly increase the conversion of wind into electricity. Consequently, the world
demand for rare earths has increased exponentially.
Although rare earth deposits are found in about 29 countries worldwide, China has emerged
as the only country which has given serious attention to rare earth mining and production. It
in fact started mining since the 1950s. It is now supplying 97% of the world’s demand for
rare earths. Now China has about 100 companies involved in the rare earth industry. It is
estimated that each year China produces more than 230,000 tonnes of rare earths. About 50%
are exported. The global market for rare earths is estimated at USD 1 billion. But the market
for the downstream products may run into tens of billions USD and are growing by the day.
Japan now dominates the downstream high value products made from rare earths. But China
is strategising to expand the downstream products business in rare earths.
4.3 Business Opportunities in Rare Earths
With the projected expansion in the green economy globally, the world demand for rare
earths and the associated green downstream products will further expand. As has been
demonstrated in Chapter 3, the deployment of green technology products in all spheres of
human activities are growing by leaps and bounds. Admittedly, there are environmental,
health and safety risks involved in the industry, especially in the mining, extraction,
processing and waste storage. However Chapter 2 has shown that the risks are manageable if
the right technologies and good management practices are deployed under a strict regulatory
regime.
In view of the near panic reaction generated worldwide due to the reduction of rare earths
export by China, what is certain is that the business opportunities in the rare earth industry
are destined to be even more lucrative in the coming years. Many countries have started to
seriously invest in the industry. Without rare earth products being available from outside
China, it appears inevitable that China with their massive investments in rare earths will
increasingly take charge of the key green technologies that will drive the global economy of
this century. With the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng, Malaysia will be in the strategic
position to be a key player in this vital industry.
4.4 Strategies for Malaysia: Development of Indigenous Rare
Earth Industries
Malaysia is stated to have some 0.03% of global world reserve of rare earth minerals. Chapter
2 presents a table of the rare earth elements present in samples of Xenotime and Monazite
Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
56
from Perak. These two minerals have been extracted from tin placer deposits in Perak and
Selangor. It is worth noting that, prior to 1988, xenotime from Malaysia was the largest
source of yttrium in the world. Unfortunately with the down turn in the tin-mining industry,
the amounts produced of these two elements have declined. Some are present in the tailings
left by the tin mining industry. Apart from that, there are natural rare earth deposits in the
country which have yet to be developed.
We expect that Malaysia has more rare earth mineral deposits than the known global reserve
of 0.03%. There is an urgent need to undertake a mapping exercise to determine the locations
and quanta. Malaysia has led the world in tin mining expertise. We suggest that the
development of the rare earth mining and processing can be the renaissance of our mining
industry. The associated downstream green technology industries will make Malaysia a
competitive player in the increasingly strategic sector of the global economy.
Brazil is reported to have 0.05% of global rare earth reserve. It has attracted joint Japanese-
Korean investment in mining its rare earths. That will be the start of their indigenous rare
earth industry. It is worth remembering that Malaysia helped Brazil and many other
developing countries in tin mining expertise. However, going forward, we must allow rare
earths export only as a last resort.
The key determinants of the strongly recommended development of our indigenous rare
earth industry are: the skilled human capital, command of upstream and downstream
technologies, R&D, access to investment capital and access to world markets. We strongly
recommend that Government should lead in a Government-Industry-Academia-CSO
partnership. In fact, a 1Malaysia alliance to embrace the following broad strategies and action
plans:
• Undertake a national exercise to map the potential rare earth deposits and evaluate
their economic potential. This will be the start of a national enterprise for our mining
renaissance.
• Incentivise the upstream mining and extraction of rare earths through partnership
between local and global partners who have access to finance, technology and market.
• Incentivise the downstream manufacturing of rare earth-based products to substitute
imports and expand exports e.g. those components needed initially in those well
established industrial sectors like automotive industry, ICT, consumer/industrial
electronics, and palm oil; and in newly established industries like solar power,
biotechnology and nanotechnology etc.
• Build technologically competent human capital in Rare Earth Processing and Product
Manufacturing, starting with the Lynas facility in Gebeng as a test bed to establish a
world class R&D centre on rare earths through partnership of Universiti Malaysia
Pahang with foreign universities and R&D companies, in the immediate term from
China, and a Rare Earth Vocational Training Institute in Kuantan to man the small
and at medium enterprises that are bound to spring up to support our green
technology industry.
• Enhance the legal framework to monitor and support the effective functioning of the
rare earth industry without compromising on the safety and health of the people and
the environment. The AELB Independent Malaysian Regulatory Support Organisation
(TSO) is a good start.
Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia’s Green Economy Forward
57
• Enhance the environment, safety and health aspects of the management of the
industrial estates in the country. In line with the world movement in restoration of the
environs surrounding industrial estates, especially petrochemical complex, it is
recommended that a study be initiated with the Gebeng Industrial Estate. Again
Universiti Malaysia Pahang can play a significant part in this initiative.
• Undertake a comprehensive and continual public awareness program and pursue
regular engagement with the community on the risks and opportunities of new
technology-based business.
The Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the National Council of Professors stand ready to
offer our services to help realise the green technology aspirations of Malaysia through the
establishment of an indigenous Rare earth industry.
:::
Anschließend der..
IAEA Report
The ASM/NPC Working Group has reviewed the IAEA Report of the International
Review Mission on the Radiation Safety Aspects of a Proposed Rare earth processing
Facility (the Lynas Project), we are impressed by the comprehensive analysis of the
environmental, health and safety aspects of the Lynas Project. We fully support their
eleven recommendations:
:::


Bis Ende Februar in der Hoffnung die MODS lassen das Posting stehen denn das gehört IMHO zur Pflichtlektüre zu unserem Thema.


Grüsse JoJo

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

07.02.2013

Umicore mit solider Gesamtjahresilanz

Umicore kann eine solide Gesamtjahresbilanz für 2012 vorweisen, trotz einer abgebremsten Nachfrage. Wie der belgische Materialtechnologie-Konzern berichtet, sind die Erlöse im Vergleich zu 2011 um 5 Prozent auf 2,4 Milliarden Euro gestiegen. Das sei vor allem den Geschäftsbereichen Recycling und Katalysatoren zu verdanken.

Umicore Declines After Forecasting Profit Drop: Brussels Mover

http://www.bloomberg.com/news//2013-02-07/umicore-declines-a…

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

07 Feb 2013
Reports of poor quality cerium circulating in Europe

LONDON (Metal-Pages) 07-Feb-13. A growing number of industry sources have noted that

http://www.metal-pages.com/news/story/68596/reports-of-poor-…

da sieht man mal wieder, dass eine gute Qualität gar nicht hoch genug eingeschätzt werden kann. Was nutzt billiges Zeugs, wenn man es nicht brauchen kann.

Da Lynas noch nichts verschickt hat, kann es sich fast mit Sicherheit nur um chinesische Quellen handeln, die schließlich den Weltmarkt befriedigen sollen.

[JoJo49]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 44.113.992 von Fuenfvorzwoelf am 07.02.13 12:45:11

Sorry für Off-Topic,

zum Thema von weltweitem Dumping im alternativen Energiesektor wie Solar- und Windkraft merkt man IMHO, dass es am Ende nur Verlierer geben wird wenn man die folgenden Berichte auf der Seite durchlist.

http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/wind/

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Google übersetzt: http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=en&tl=de&js=n&prev=_…


Grüsse JoJo

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

BEIJING Asian Metal 7 Feb 13 – Dysprosium oxide demand remains sluggish as consumers lack confidence in current price levels. Insiders predict the price still have room to decline if consumers delay purchasing further after Spring Festival. A source from a separation plant in South China told Asian Metal that they receive rare inquiries for dysprosium oxide at present. Do...

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

PITTSBURGH Asian Metal 7 Feb 13 – Sources in the US reported to Asian Metal that shipments of lanthanum oxide remain low, and most do not anticipate a rise in inquiries for the light rare earth until later this month. Participants noted that sufficient stock should carry consumers through the next several weeks given the upcoming Lunar New Year in China. Consumption downstream in the catalyst market is not likely to fluctuate greatly, but orders are typically sporadic. According to US sources, prices for lanthanum oxide 99%min keep at 9.00-11.00kg, representing no deviation in rece...

[Fuenfvorzwoelf]

BEIJING Asian Metal 7 Feb 13 – Neodymium oxide market sees few deals as consumers refrain from making purchases. Meanwhile, producers hold the prices stable at RMB330,000-350,000t USD52,899-56,105t and prefer to watch the market for a while. A source from a separation plant in South China, whose plant has ceased production for around three months, expressed that neodymium oxide demand remains soft and buyers continue to hold wait-and-see attitudes. How...