PUTRAJAYA: The government is still studying the possibility of deploying nuclear energy in the country to meet future demand, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Nancy Shukri said.

However, she stressed that the multibillion project will go ahead only if public acceptance is gained.

While Malaysia’s fitness as a nuclear power-generating country is being assessed, it is important to gauge the interest and concern of the general public, she added.

“In Malaysia, or in anywhere in the world, before we start on a nuclear energy project, it is very much depending on the perception of the people. In our case, Malaysians deserve to know how the country intends to use nuclear energy. We should engage more so that they are aware of what we are doing and going about this,” she told reporters yesterday after a briefing on the first Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review Mission from yesterday until Monday. Malaysia Nuclear Power Corp (MNPC), which was formed as a company under the Prime Minister’s Department in 2011, is hosting the mission.

It has been almost six years since MNPC was set up to implement the nuclear energy development programme beginning with the country’s first nuclear power plant.

Under the Economic Transformation Programme’s entry point project 11 dubbed “Deploying Nuclear Energy for Power Generation”, Malaysia has put in place a framework that ensures the technical, safety and environmental foundation will still be available should nuclear power become essential to spur economic growth.

The project, which is reported to cost about RM23.1 billion to develop two nuclear plants, was supposed to start off in 2013, but was then rescheduled for 2021. And now, according to Nancy, it is most likely to be shifted to 2030.

“We are not talking about now or anytime soon, but preparation need to be made as early as possible. We need to have an alternative, because this is not something that can be done overnight, it needs a lot of studies,” she said.

The planning and construction of a nuclear power plant are understood to take some 10 to 15 years.

“We didn’t say that we need to have it now; we are just conducting our study. We see the need but we don’t know when we are going to have it. What we do know is that we need to be prepared, so that when the need arises we have all the necessary technical preparations in place,” she added.

Nuclear energy is widely used by adoptive countries as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels to generate electricity. However, it is also known to have its perils, with examples of the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasters.

Nancy acknowledged that the word “nuclear” itself instantly generates negative perception. Hence, she has suggested to MNPC to constantly engage the community and stakeholders in all matters related to nuclear energy to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Nancy, who also oversees the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, further emphasised the need to keep Malaysians well-informed of the progress made by the country in its nuclear power planning, based on the review which will be conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Once IAEA finalises its assessment report, it will be presented to the cabinet.

Earlier, MNPC chief executive officer Dr Mohd Zamzam Jaafar said the government is committed to a “responsible and well-informed decision” on the use of nuclear energy for electricity generation.

“The government has not decided on the future use of nuclear energy for electricity generation but we are committed to facilitating a responsible and well-informed decision on nuclear energy by the government,” he added.