KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Penang will not be a site for a nuclear plant if Putrajaya decides on the energy option due to the state’s dense population, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng revealed today.
He said the assurance had come from Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin in his letter to the state government on Wednesday.
In his letter, Chin stressed that should the government make its final decision to construct the plants, it would have to abide by the regulatory guidelines set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other experienced nations to ensure the people’s safety.
One of the guidelines from IAEA, he added, was that such a plant could not be built in densely populated areas.
“With Penang’s high population, it is unlikely to be sited there,” Chin wrote in the letter made available to The Malaysian Insider.
The minister was replying to a letter from Lim on March 21, telling the federal government to scrap its plan entirely and explore alternative energy sources.
Lim had pledged to stop the federal government from setting up any such plants in the state.
Under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), a twin-unit nuclear power plant generating up to two gigawatts, costing a total of RM21.3 billion, has been proposed.
Chin also reminded Lim in his letter that the government was yet to make its final decision on the project and was planning to first conduct an in-depth study on the construction of such a plant.
“A study perhaps on project aspects like human capital, legal considerations, technology, the industry and others.
“An education programme and public awareness campaigns will also be held, which will indirectly provide room for further discussions with relevant parties,” he said.
Chin added the nuclear power option should not be quickly disregarded as it has the potential to become a long-term alternative power source for the country, especially during the 2020 era.
“Its capacity to generate large quantities of electricity continuously to fulfil base-load needs can guarantee our energy security and ensure that all users will continue to receive sufficient and cost-effective energy,” he said.
He also denied Lim’s claim that countries like Germany and China had cancelled their nuclear power plant plans amid the current scare in Japan.
“On the contrary, Germany only ordered seven of its 17 nuclear plants (which have been in operation since 1980) to be temporarily stopped to undergo safety checks.
“At the same time, Germany is also importing electricity from other European nations like France, where a large portion of its energy supply comes from such power plants.
“China, on the other hand, is still operating its 27 power plants and only the new projects and those still in the planning stages were put off temporarily,” he explained.
In his letter, Lim had said Malaysia should scrap its plans to construct the plants considering the government’s poor track record in some of its projects.
The Bagan MP also said the plan should be cancelled in light of the most serious nuclear crisis in world history since the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago that Japan was now facing given its expertise and very advanced and progressive technology.
“It should be noted nuclear fusion technology in our country is limited compared to Japan’s expertise. Moreover, developed countries with high technology, such as Germany and China, the world’s second largest economy, have already cancelled plans to build nuclear plants in their countries,” he said in a press statement.
Lim added that public confidence was still in question after the Terengganu stadium roof collapse in 2009.
“How can we be confident about the safety and soundness of a nuclear plant given its high risk and danger?” he asked.
Chin recently said that Cabinet approval was still pending for the controversial local nuclear plants as it awaits Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation reports.
The corporation was formed in January to lead the country’s push for nuclear energy, with Dr Mohd Zamzam Jaafar named as CEO.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has also been non-committal about the nuclear push.
“In this matter, we have an agency that is responsible and they know what they are doing and we are confident that they will implement what is the best,” he has said.
The announcement to build two 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plants in Malaysia by 2022 to counter an “imbalance” in its energy supplies came late last year.
The nuclear power plan has been attacked by environmental activists, who say the government has not thoroughly considered other forms of energy generation, such as solar, hydroelectric and wind power.
State energy firm Tenaga Nasiona Berhad has said it could construct the first nuclear power plant at a cost of US$3.1 billion (RM9.3 billion).
The Malaysian Insider reported in May last year that Putrajaya had identified Pahang, Johor and Terengganu as possible states for a proposed nuclear power plant due to availability of remote locations that are close to water sources, in line with international rules.
Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia to announce a nuclear power plant, a sensitive matter in the Asean grouping which has always espoused a nuclear-free zone.
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