Perth based mining identity, Mr Les Emery was appointed its first CEO and Managing Director in 1986, remaining with Lynas until 2001.

In May 2009, Lynas was offered funding of $252 million by the Chinese state-owned China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., which would have taken a 51.6% stake in the company.

[6] In April 2011, Lynas was attempting to sell its Crown polymetallic deposit (which is particularly prospective for niobium) at Mount Weld to Forge Resources.

[3] On 5 September 2012, Lynas was awarded a temporary 2-year operating licence by Malaysia's Atomic Energy Licensing Board despite concerns about lack of a long term disposal plan for its waste.

[13][14] Community opposition evolved into a bigger group called Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) under the leadership of Bentong MP Wong Tack.

[20][21] Fuziah Salleh was appointed as the chairwoman of the evaluation committee,[22] and promised a fair review, saying that she will "look out for the best interest of Kuantan residents"[23] In 2020, LAMP received a 3-year operating licence.

The permit required Lynas to move their cracking and leaching facilities outside of Malaysia before July 2023, to stop importing radioactive material, and come up with a permanent disposal plan for wastes.

[2] On 30 December 2021, Lynas announced it had secured environmental approvals from Malaysian authorities to build a permanent disposal facility for water leached purification residue at Gebeng industrial estate.

[24] In February 2023, the Malaysian government required Lynas to stop operating the cracking and leaching portion of the plant, because they were still generating radioactive waste.