BANGI: Mention nuclear technology and what usually comes to mind are 1986’s Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine or the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War 2.
However, it is time to dispel this negative stigma as nuclear technology offers substantial opportunities and benefits in fields like agriculture, healthcare and industry, propelling the nation’s socioeconomic development.
Globally, nuclear technology is recognised as one of the leading advanced technologies capable of addressing socioeconomic challenges. Japan, for example, has risen from the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to become a developed nation and a key reference country for nuclear technology and power.
Aware of these benefits, Malaysia is now taking proactive steps to explore peaceful uses of nuclear technology by introducing the National Nuclear Technology Policy 2030 (DTNN 2030). This policy aims to mainstream the peaceful use of nuclear technology, targeting an export value of RM2.4 billion for domestic nuclear technology-related products by 2030.
Nuclear technology development in six key areas
Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia) director-general Dr Rosli Darmawan (pic) said under DTNN 2030, six key sectors have been identified as areas whose capabilities can be enhanced through the peaceful use of nuclear technology in Malaysia.
The sectors concerned are medicine and healthcare; food and agriculture; device and equipment manufacturing; environmental and natural resource management; industrial applications; and nuclear safety and security.
"DTNN has 19 flagship programmes, 40 flagship initiatives and 18 strategies. If all these programmes are implemented, they are expected to contribute to the annual growth of the export value of local nuclear technology-related products to RM2.4bil by 2030.
"Malaysia is also targeting a 20 per cent increase in public-private partnerships, as well as a 10 per cent increase in international collaborations and a 40 per cent rise in the application of nuclear technology in specific fields such as education, agriculture and the environment,” he told Bernama.
Nuclear technology in Malaysia
Rosli said Malaysia has been making peaceful use of nuclear technology since 1897 with the introduction of X-ray machines, adding that the use of this technology has grown significantly in the country since then.
He noted that nuclear technology is already being applied in Malaysia in sectors such as food and agriculture, environment, healthcare and industry and it has brought great benefits to the nation.
"Nuclear technology can help verify the authenticity of food or trace its origin. For example, it can detect whether harum manis mangoes being sold actually come from Perlis or not.
"In the environmental field, we have expertise in using isotope technology to trace sources of water causing landslides, as well as sources of contamination of water supply. This method of determining the causes (of landslides and water contamination) is known as environmental forensic technique,” he explained.
Nuclear as a source of power generation
Rosli said using nuclear technology as an energy source for electricity generation offers significant benefits to the country as it is a low-carbon energy source and more cost-effective.
"Nuclear energy is an ideal alternative for Malaysia because it is more economical. While initial operating costs are relatively high, nuclear energy can produce more energy which makes nuclear a much more efficient, and low-carbon, alternative to using fossil fuels.
"This technology has high energy density, meaning it can generate large amounts of power with a small quantity of material, unlike coal which needs constant replenishment,” he pointed out.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has previously said that Malaysia was considering nuclear power generation as one of the country’s future energy sources.
He said the Energy Transition and Natural Resources Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation MInistry have been tasked with developing the necessary legal and regulatory framework for this purpose.
3S concept ensures safe use of nuclear
Addressing public concerns about nuclear technology, Rosli said the harnessing of nuclear energy has improved over the years and is always subject to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which ensures strict adherence to the 3S concept: safety, security and safeguards.
In Malaysia, he added, Nuklear Malaysia is responsible for conducting research and development (R&D) in the use of nuclear science and technology for the country’s socioeconomic development while ensuring compliance with the 3S.
"Nuclear technology is actually used in daily life though people may not realise it. Radiation technology has been applied in Malaysia’s agricultural sector to produce new, drought- and disease-resistant crop varieties such as the NMR152 rice.
"This is just one example of how nuclear technology benefits the country,” he said, noting that nuclear technology was also used in detecting victims during rescue operations following a landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor, in 2022.
Malaysia recognised in the global nuclear ecosystem
Rosli said the country, through Nuklear Malaysia, can now take pride in its growing recognition within the global nuclear ecosystem, having produced more than 5,000 experts in related fields and becoming a reference for other countries.
He said Nuklear Malaysia also plays a role as the National Authority for the implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to ensure Malaysia’s compliance with international obligations under the CTBT.
"We are operating a radionuclide monitoring station in Cameron Highlands and a National Data Centre at Nuklear Malaysia.
"In the early stages of nuclear technology adoption, Malaysia was a recipient country of this technology. However, today it is recognised as a donor country, meaning Malaysia is now acknowledged as a provider of nuclear technology to other nations,” he added.
Malaysia's nuclear facilities recognised
Rosli also said the use of nuclear technology has grown in line with the rapid development of the nation’s industries, with Malaysia housing various facilities and laboratories focused on nuclear science and technology.
Malaysia also has a nuclear research reactor, the TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP), which has been operating at Nuklear Malaysia since 1982.
Other facilities include nuclear safety and security laboratories such as the Physical Protection Laboratory, Mobile Radiological Laboratory, Radiochemical and Environmental Laboratory and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, which ensure the safe use of nuclear technology.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang was previously quoted as saying that MOSTI is currently conducting a technical study on the TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor replacement plan. According to Chang, this study is part of the DTNN 2030 strategy, which aims to strengthen nuclear technology development in Malaysia.
Through this initiative, the country is expected to reduce its reliance on importing various types of radioisotopes used in the medical, industrial and bioscience sectors, thereby contributing to scientific knowledge and high-tech innovation, said Chang.
This year, Nuklear Malaysia received the BioNexus Partner Laboratories (BNP) Award. The award went to the agency’s Medical Technology Division’s Pharmaceutical Laboratory. It also won two gold medals at the 35th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition and a gold medal at the International Development Research & Innovation Virtual Exhibition.
"My hope is that society will not fear or think negatively about nuclear technology. In general, nuclear energy is cleaner and better compared to coal, which releases carbon dioxide,” Rosli said.- Bernama
