KUCHING: Nuclear power plants may in the near future generate electricity for Malaysia if the government agrees to include nuclear as the country’s new source of energy.

Papers prepared by a task force committee for new sources of energy which detail the idea of nuclear power of Malaysia are now ready and will be submitted to the cabinet for it to reach a decision.

Science, Technology and Innovations Deputy Minister Fadillah Yusof who said this to reporters here yesterday, pointed out that nuclear energy was currently the most cost-effective way to generate power in the longer term.

“The papers put up by my ministry together with the Ministry of Energy, Water and Telecommunications are for the government to look into the possibility, policy-wise, of including nuclear as one of the sources of power generation.

“If the cabinet agrees, we will form a team to conduct comprehensive studies in terms of viability and environmental impacts of nuclear as well identifying suitable sites for power plant and its disposal areas,” he said.

Asked by reporters, he said new sources of energy were currently being sought as alternatives to the five present power-generating sources in Malaysia namely gas, diesel, water, wind and solar.

He added that apart from nuclear, the task force committee was also studying other sources such as jatropha, algae and biomass, and the possibility of converting plastic into fuel for small engines such as grass cutting machines.

Nonetheless, nuclear remained top of the list as many countries which used to oppose nuclear due to its impact to the environment have now changed their mind.

“When you look back at the evolution of nuclear energy, now is already third generation. The first generation of course had many incidents of leakages and mishaps but there are no more cases in the second generation. And in this third generation, the technology is more secure.

“That’s why you hear countries like Netherlands which used to object, now almost 100 per cent convert to nuclear. So are many European counties. China is using it, while Japan has been using it for 80 years, I think. Indonesia is more advanced than us. They are almost there (in implementing it). Thailand is also considering,” he said.

Conceding that Malaysia was a step backward than its Asean neighbours, he, however, brushed off suggestions that Malaysia was doing it for the sake of following or catching up with the others.

He stressed that nuclear power was also nothing new in Malaysia since the country’s first and only nuclear reactor in Malaysian Institute of Nuclear Technology and Research (MINT) had been in operations since 1982 albeit for research purposes.

“This is because nuclear right now is the cheapest way to produce energy. One rod (containing uranium or plutonium) can last three to 20 years. In fact, we have our pilot reactor in Dengkel (Kajang, Selangor) for more than 20 years and there have been no incidents of leakages.

“We are doing this not because we want to follow others for the sake of following or catching up but rather because the security in terms of technology, viability and long-term costs which nuclear offers,” he said.

On other developments, Fadillah, who is Petra Jaya member of parliament said the cyber centre to be built at a site between Kuching and Samarahan would be different than those in other states as it would offer Sarawak a new niche area to work on.

“We will try to tie up the centre with a Hollywood-based animation company which recently set up its operations in Kuala Lumpur,” he said, adding that the centre could be completed within the next two years the soonest.

He also said a plan for a large-scale wireless connectivity project in Petra Jaya which integrated broadband Internet and CCTV facilities, akin to the ones already implemented in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, was still in its planning stage.

Earlier, Fadillah officiated at the opening of an information technology (IT) awareness seminar conducted by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Youth and Saberkas unit of Taman Sri Wangi at SMK Petra Jaya here.

In his speech, he said although Internet was fun, it also had its dark side because cyber-crimes were being committed daily over the cyberspace.

“Incidences of personal data theft and hacking are reported every day.

“In social networking sites, jilted lovers post incriminating photos of their girlfriends just to get back and humiliate them. So you see, we’ve got to protect ourselves against all these,” he said.

As such, his ministry will embark on a roadshow starting from Terengganu in August to educate the public on cyber security, he said.