Lynas Corporation Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kalgoorlie-Boulder city in Australia for a review and due diligence of potential sites for its new cracking and leaching plant.

Lynas in its statement today said the MoU provides a support framework from Kalgoorlie in the relevant key areas including land availability, water, gas, electricity, access roads and other infrastructure as well as workforce management.

“As part of the MoU, the city offers to actively assist Lynas in attracting a residential workforce for the plant’s operation and provide assistance for the initial staffing of the plant,” it said.

On May 21 this year, Lynas announced the relocation of its cracking and leaching plant from Malaysia to Western Australia as part of Lynas’ 2025 growth plan and following preliminary site assessment studies in Kalgoorlie, the Lynas mine site at Mt Weld has been shortlisted as the preferred location for the facility.

The Malaysian government recently announced that the operating licence for Lynas has been extended another six months, on condition the company finds a permanent disposal site for the water leach purification (WLP) residue it produced.

Meanwhile, Lynas CEO and managing director Amanda Lacaze said Kalgoorlie, which has a rich mining history, access to infrastructure and a skilled workforce, makes it an attractive investment destination.

“The local councils in both of our preferred locations have welcomed the opportunity to host our Western Australian cracking and leaching facility and we look forward to updating the market on further developments,” she said.

- Bernama