IS Malaysia capable of going nuclear?

The answer is yes, if there's political will.

If the government could train experts and map suitable sites for nuclear plants some 40 years ago, industry experts can't see why it cannot be done today.

Despite having to play catch-up in many areas due to the years lost, not everything is lost.

It's not too late for Malaysia to pick up from where we left off, says Associate Professor Dr Muhamad Samudi Yasir.
"If we start from scratch, from commissioning the project to making it into working nuclear, I'll say we need about 15 years. And that's a conservative projection."

But first, a clear policy spelling out what needs to be done ought to be put in place and legislations drawn up.

Malaysia can adopt IAEA's guidelines and modify them to suit local needs.

The public should also be equipped with the right information.

Negative perceptions on nuclear power come most often from misinformation, says Samudi.

According to Malaysian Nuclear Agency, public acceptance is centred on four risk perceptions -- nuclear power plant safety and accident risks, power plant siting, waste management and disposal, and threat of nuclear weapons proliferation.

Despite claims of public fatalities due to radiation exposure, an authoritative UN report in 2000 concluded that there is no scientific evidence of any significant radiation-related health effects to most people exposed.

This was confirmed in a 2005-06 study by several international agencies, including WHO, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the IAEA.

After obtaining the green light from the public, the next step is to rebuild the manpower.

It's necessary for experienced professionals in TNB to undergo training to be capable of building up a division to design, build and operate a nuclear station, says A. Ramanath a former deputy general manager at NEB.

"Their first job will be to identify a nuclear reactor suitable for our country, design the system, select the site, construct the station and eventually operate and maintain it."

The team should be familiar with the consultants who have designed and supervised the constructions of the power reactors.

They must also know the different types of fuel available in the market, the constraints imposed by the supplier of specific fuels, and how to handle nuclear waste properly.

Jamal Khaer Ibrahim says the country can still seek the expertise of the pool of human capital developed in early 1970s.

"This pool of human capital in nuclear technology can serve as the nucleus for developing a larger pool of expertise.

"The lead time required for this human capital development is estimated to be about 10 years."

In selecting a suitable site, the government must meet IAEA requirements and aspects of laws which cover the storage of nuclear materials and wastes.

It's not necessary for plants to be built far away from human civilisation, says Samudi, as they are clean and pose very little threat of an exposure.

Countries like Japan and the Netherlands have them just outside the municipality.

"Japan is very prone to earthquake, but it didn't stop them. They imported the technology from Britain, developed their skills gradually, and are now selling their technology.

"They are the only country in the world which has experienced atomic bombing, but they look forward to the positive application of nuclear."

Essential factors like population densities, geological faults, flooding, effluent dispersal system, and possible contamination of the environment, must also be considered.

There are a few different types of reactors such as the boiling water reactor system and the pressurised water reactor as used in the USA and the Candu (Canada Deuterium Uranium) system which uses natural uranium as its main fuel.

The Candu reactor can be designed to utilise thorium, a by-product from tin tailings. As Malaysia has been exporting thorium from its tin tailings for years, this metal could be conserved and utilised in this type of reactor system.

Harnessing nuclear power seems to be a relatively easy task for Malaysia, who has had the groundwork laid out before, but Samudi warns against rushing into it.

"We cannot put this up overnight. It's something that takes years of consideration and planning.

"There's no fast implementation when it comes to nuclear."