KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia lacks both the expertise and funding to begin nuclear energy development even as the country moves towards becoming a zero-carbon nation, says Chang Lih Kang.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said the country did not have enough experts to support a full transition to nuclear energy.
He said the country only has 300 nuclear energy experts through its Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia).
“While we do have the expertise to run (a) nuclear power (facility), there are nowhere near enough to properly support a nuclear energy-based power grid.
“If the government wants to continue its efforts, we will need five to 10 years at least to develop more talents in nuclear energy up to the minimum PhD level,” he told a press conference at the Parliament building on Tuesday (Nov 12).
Chang said the ministry also lacked the funding to both develop talent and conduct research and development (R&D) on nuclear energy.
He added that even if the ministry's entire RM195mil allocation for R&D were used just for nuclear energy research, it would not be enough.
“We need a bigger budget, but will make do with what we have to engage with nuclear energy R&D,” he said.
On Nov 5, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the government would consider using nuclear energy as one of the country’s energy sources as part of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
He added that a strict legal and regulatory framework, including compliance with international regulations, would be needed at the initial stage of development.
