Altech commences permitting for HPA plant in Malaysia

Highlights
• Altech commences permitting process for HPA plant in Malaysia
• First stage of process involves the Preliminary Site Assessment (PAT)
• A ltech’s HPA plant is designed to meet both international and Malaysian standards

Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to announce that it has commenced the permitting process for its high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant proposed to be located in the Tanjung Langsat Industrial Park, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Company has submitted a Preliminary Site Assessment (colloquially referred to as a "PAT"), to the Department of Environment, Malaysia, which is the first stage of Malaysia's approvals process for the project.

Altech's proposed HPA plant has been designed to meet international environmental standards as well as the standards of the Malaysian Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974. Specifically, Altech has designed its plant to ensure that all offgasses that vent to exhaust stacks meet Malaysian environmental emission limits and that any discharges vented to the atmosphere pass through appropriate dust removal systems such as bag-houses or electrostatic separators. In addition, any potential hydrochloric acid (HCl) vapour streams will be cleaned via caustic scrubbers before venting to the atmosphere. Solid residue from the plant will predominantly be in the form of neutralised benign silica, which will be made available to local brickworks or cement plants. Any acidic residue from the plant will be neutralised and treated onsite and disposed in bulka bags via local vendors. All process water from the plant will be treated on-site to established environmental standards.

Local environmental consultant Daya Eco Techno Sdn Bhd (Daya) is retained by Altech to assist the Company in complying with Malaysian approvals processes. In general, the assessment of the PAT is based on the projects compatibility with respect to gazetted structure/local plans, surrounding land use, provision of set-backs or buffer zones, the capacity of the area to receive additional pollution load, and waste disposal requirements. As the preferred location for the plant is the Tanjung Langsat industrial complex, an established chemical park and designated chemical-industry zone, the Company does not expect any complications for permitting.