Perak: The Perak government has made a request for RM20 million from the federal government to explore new mineral resources, including non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE), within the state. The allocation is intended to allow the Minerals and Geosciences Department (JMG) to conduct research that could uncover a new source of revenue for the state.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad addressed the financial request in response to a supplementary question from Tiw Tee Siang (PH-Tronoh). Tiw inquired whether the state government would undertake a study to explore new minerals and map potential areas, during a question and answer session at the State Assembly sitting.

In response to Tiw’s original question, Saarani disclosed that six plots of privately owned land have been greenlit for NR-REE mining, contingent on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report. These plots are located in Mukim Kenering, Hulu Perak District, with only one currently operational as a pilot project for NR-REE mining.

Saarani further revealed that initial studies by Malaysia Perak indicated four districts with potential NR-REE resources: Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Larut Matang, and Kinta, collectively holding an estimated reserve of 1.7 million metric tons. However, he noted that 70 to 80 per cent of these potential NR-REE reserves lie within forest reserve areas.