By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 21: The Sarawak Government has approved an allocation of RM18 million under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to conduct studies on the potential occurrence of rare earth elements (REE) resources across an area of approximately 3,134 square kilometres.
Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development (MUDeNR) Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the allocation would support efforts to identify the State’s REE resource potential and lay the groundwork for further industry development.
Speaking during his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today, he said the State Government had also completed an integrated development roadmap for the REE industry, covering the entire value chain from upstream to downstream.
The roadmap aims to develop a “super magnet” that will support the growth of Sarawak’s semiconductor, aerospace and satellite industries, as well as applications in electric vehicle manufacturing, defence technology, medicine and other sectors.
Awang Tengah also noted that a larger allocation had been requested from the Federal Government for the Sarawak branch of the Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia to expand studies on the occurrence of mineral resources throughout Sarawak.
Meanwhile, he pointed out the State Government remained committed to ensuring that mining and quarrying activities were carried out sustainably, balancing development and economic needs with environmental conservation and community well-being.
In line with this commitment, the Sarawak Minerals Management Authority (SMMA) had approved the Sarawak Mineral Industry Development Policy, which comprises seven pillars and 43 key components.
The policy emphasises green mining and quarrying practices, the adoption of the latest technologies, human capital development, and the integrated development of the mineral industry across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors to increase the value-added of products.
Awang Tengah said the Green Mining and Quarrying Academy, established through a strategic collaboration between the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) and the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, would serve as a platform to support the implementation of the policy.
The academy was launched by him in Lawas in 2025. – DayakDaily
