KUALA SELANGOR, Nov 9 — The state government has reaffirmed that it has never approved any rare earth element (REE) mining activities.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said Selangor's policy focuses solely on the processing sector and developing downstream industries involving the material, which can enhance the state's economic value.
“Selangor has a clear policy regarding rare earths. Our focus is on the processing, or the middle and downstream industries.
“We do not extract raw rare earth resources directly. Instead, we aim to process them first before any exploration, as we are aware of existing deposits, including in several areas of Hulu Selangor,” he said.
Amirudin was speaking to the press after officiating the state-level World Town Planning Day celebration, themed 'Urban Regeneration: A Planning Agenda for the People', at Dataran Malawati yesterday.
Also present were the state executive councillor for rural development, unity, and consumer affairs Dato' Rizam Ismail; the state executive councillor for housing and culture, Datuk Borhan Aman Shah; and the state executive councillor for local government and tourism, Dato’ Ng Suee Lim.
In July, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed his commitment to accelerating the development of the REE industry through cooperation with state governments to strengthen the ecosystem and boost activities along the sector’s value chain.
Last week, the Negeri Sembilan state government announced the commencement of REE mining in Jelebu as a pilot project in January 2026, with two sites already approved.
The industry is expected to contribute RM18 million in state revenue starting in 2027, with an estimated total value of up to RM30 billion.
