KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should be considered for the first site to develop a nuclear energy plant as the move could meet the state’s energy needs, says Datuk Masiung Banah.
The state government Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman said the country could consider starting the project using Floating Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) energy, with more flexible costs and a faster construction period, suitable for Sabah which has a wide coastline.
“The expenditure cost of using FNPP is lower and less risky, and construction is more controlled compared to conventional plants on land,” he said in a statement.
Masiung said the state government must be prepared to face a surge in electricity demand by 2031 and reduce dependence on natural gas and diesel with an uncertain global market.
“The Sabah government and the Federal Government can forge cooperation to develop the nuclear programme.
“It is time for Malaysia to move into the phase of developing nuclear energy, in line with the framework of a nation set to emerge as a developed country by 2030,” he said.
Masiung hopes the Sabah FNPP proposal can be negotiated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council.
The Kuamut assemblyman said the country’s electricity supply cannot continue to depend on fossil fuels following constraints in coal and natural gas resources, some of which have to be imported.
“The global uncertainty aggravated by the turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz demands an urgent need for the country to formulate a long-term energy strategy,” he said, adding it would also be a strategic solution to drastically reduce carbon emissions.
