Govt mulling phased entry into nuclear energy

The Star

24-07-2025

PUTRAJAYA is mulling a phased approach to introduce nuclear energy into the national energy mix in line with the country's target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister.
'Nuclear energy has been identified as a potential technology for providing a clean and stable baseload energy source, supporting the increasing electricity demand and the energy transition from fossil fuel usage.
'The government will focus on a comprehensive assessment of the nation's readiness in terms of policy, technical, institutional, legal, safety, human resource development, economic aspects, and public awareness,' he said in a written parliamentary statement.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu), who had asked the government to state the current policy on nuclear energy under the National Energy Transition Road­map (NETR).
Fadillah said MyPower has been appointed to act as the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation (Nepio) in accordance with the recom­mendations of the Inter­national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for countries intending to introduce nuclear for electricity generation.
'MyPower will serve as the main coordinating agency for the development of the national nuclear energy programme, and is currently undertaking various initiatives.'
The initiatives include developing policies and strengthening the legal framework, conducting technical and feasibility studies, and building human resource and institutional capacity.
It also involves enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries and international institutions in technology, training, and compliance with international standards, he added.
'The government also emphasises that any final decision regarding the construction of nuclear power plants will only be made once all prerequisites related to safety, technical, policy, and other important considerations are convincingly met,' said Fadillah.
While nuclear energy is not included in the NETR that was launched in 2023, Fadillah said hydrogen technology was identified as a potential technology to be developed under the roadmap.
'However, since the launch of NETR, nuclear energy has been recognised as a potential option to provide a clean, stable and low-carbon baseload energy source, supporting increased electricity demand and efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse emissions.
'Nuclear has the potential to support NETR by contributing to energy security, emission reduction, and diversification of the national energy mix by offering a reliable energy source to replace coal plants that will be phased out by 2044.'