Business

Published: Monday November 16, 2009 MYT 3:05:00 PM

How to get Malaysians' support for nuclear energy


KUALA LUMPUR: The government will need to launch a massive awareness campaign to correct the people's perception on power generation using nuclear power and in particular waste management, according to the Ministry Of Energy, Green Technology And Water.

Its Deputy Secretary-General (Energy), Loo Took Gee said Malaysia could emulate South Korea's move in winning over the public in the quest to develop a successful nuclear power programme.

"I was informed that communities in the Republic of Korea are competing to have nuclear waste disposal sites in their backyard," she said in her congratulatory address at the Malaysia-Korea Nuclear Energy Forum here.

"This is something I wish, we would be able to see happen in Malaysia when the government make a conclusive announcement on nuclear power generation post-2020," she added.

She said the 'Not-In-My-BackYard' syndrome had to be addressed to ensure nuclear power is accepted as a friendly source of energy which will benefit consumers.

Loo noted that the greatest concern for the power sector especially in the Peninsula, is to ensure security of fuel supply.

Based on the country's present demand and supply forecast, Peninsular Malaysia would need an average additional capacity of at least 500MW annually to meet an increasing demand from 2015 onwards.

However, the amount required in 2016 is even higher due to the retirement of gas fired plants of the first generation of independent power producers (IPPs).

The conservative estimate has also taken into account the power supply from the Bakun Dam which is expected to be channeled to the Peninsula in 2015.

"The question we need to ask now is, where do we derive our power supply from, beyond 2015? We can no longer rely on coal and gas as our main source of fuel as both have their own share of problems," she stated.

Therefore, looking at the various possible alternatives, she said nuclear energy presents a good option to fulfill the base load requirement of Malaysia's system.

At the same time, she explained, it offered a cheaper source of energy compared to other fuel sources.

In this instance, Loo said South Korea had proven that even though it has little natural energy resources, its energy model with the emphasis on nuclear power, has served the country well in terms of energy development and economic growth.

"In fact, nuclear power is the engine of growth which spurred the country to where it is now.

"It is also due to spin-offs from the nuclear power programme they introduced to get where the country is now from before," she added.

She said the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia's main electricity utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)on a pre-feasibility study on nuclear power, was also a good start for a cooperation on nuclear energy between both countries. -Bernama

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