IPOH (April 17): The Perak government has applied for RM20 million from the federal government to explore new mineral resources, including non-radioactive rare earth element (NR-REE) in the state.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the allocation would enable the Minerals and Geosciences Department to conduct research towards finding a new source of revenue for the state.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Tiw Tee Siang (Pakatan Harapan-Tronoh) on whether the state government would conduct a study to explore new minerals and map the areas during a question-and-answer session at the State Legislative Assembly sitting here on Thursday.

Earlier, to Tiw's original question, Saarani said six plots of privately owned land had been approved for NR-REE mining based on the environmental impact assessment report.

Saarani said the plots of land are in Mukim Kenering, the Hulu Perak district, with only one plot currently operating as a pilot project for NR-REE mining.

"Based on the initial study carried out by Minerals and Geosciences Department in Perak, there are four districts with potential to have NR-REE mineral resources, namely Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Larut Matang and Kinta, with a total reserve of approximately 1.7 million metric tons.

"However, 70% to 80% of the areas with the potential to have NR-REE reserves are located within forest reserve areas," he said.

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