KUCHING, Oct 21 — The Sarawak government has completed an integrated framework for the development of the rare earth elements (REE) industry, covering the entire value chain from upstream to downstream activities, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
The Second Natural Resources and Urban Development Minister said the Sarawak REE Industry Development Roadmap aims to develop a ‘super magnet’ industry to support the growth of Sarawak’s semiconductor, aerospace, and satellite industries, in addition to applications in electric vehicle manufacturing, defence technology, medicine, and other sectors.
“As an initial step towards developing the industry, the Sarawak government has approved an allocation of RM18 million under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to conduct studies on the potential presence of REE resources across an area of approximately 3,134 square km.
“In this regard, the federal government has been requested to provide a larger allocation to the Sarawak branch of the Department of Minerals and Geoscience Malaysia to enable the surveys on the presence of these mineral resources to be expanded throughout Sarawak,” he said when winding up his ministerial speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) here.
On a related matter, Awang Tengah said the Sarawak Minerals Management Authority (SMMA) has approved the Sarawak Mineral Industry Development Policy, which comprises seven pillars and 43 key components.
“The policy emphasises the implementation of green mining and quarrying, the use of the latest technologies, human capital development, and the integrated development of the industry across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors to increase the value added of products,” he said.
He added that the Green Mining and Quarrying Academy, established through a strategic collaboration between the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak and the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, will serve as a platform to support the implementation of this policy. — The Borneo Post