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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Energy minister coy on nuke plans and Dr M: M'sia had bad experience with nukes


'I don't know... ask the Nuclear Development Agency,' says energy minister Peter Chin.



The minister in charge of nuclear power, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui, has deftly refused to state the government's stand on atomic energy for power generation despite the matter being directly under his purview.

Chin refused to affirm or deny the government's nuclear ambitions in the face of a possible atomic reactor meltdown in earthquake devastated Japan.

Cornered by reporters after a launch of a lithium-ion battery-powered motorcycle at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur this morning, Chin (left) said "no comment" several times when asked if the government was planning to forge ahead with its nuclear power plant plan.

He also muddled up the names of the agencies in the three-minute press conference, frequently referring to the Nuclear Power Corporation, an agency under the Prime Minister's Department,
as 'Nuclear Development Agency'.

Malaysia plans to build two 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plants by 2022. This was announced by Chin in December last year.

However, fears over the safety of nuclear plants have arisen with Japan, a major operator of such plants for electricity generation, being threatened with a meltdown at its stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant after reactors failed to cool down following last Friday's 9.0 earthquake in the Miyagi prefecture.

The transcript of Chin's press conference follows:

Reporter: What is the government's position on nuclear reactors? Are we proceeding with them?


Chin: Up to this stage, I think the best thing is for you guys to contact the Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA).

They have got all the reports from International Atomic Energy Agency and the IAEA doesn't contact (the ministry) because the focal point for our country is the MNA. So, best you get the latest from them.

What about Malaysia? Will we be proceeding with the two plants?

I think this one is something that we will have to look at because the (Nuclear Power Corporation) will have to come up with the paper, a report, and submit to the government for the government to evaluate the situation.

As to whether we will continue or not, that is not for me to say but for the cabinet to decide.

So, at the moment, does it mean that it's on?

Well, the government has not made any other decision, so I think we have to wait for the report to be presented by the (Nuclear Power Corporation) under the JPM (PM's Department), so...

So it's on track then?

What do you mean?

As in, are we in the tendering process, or is it halted...?

I have no comment on that, whether it is halted or anything like that. I will not comment on that.

Then what about the gag order on the nuclear agency? They were told that the minister has instructed them not to talk to the media.

I don't know. I have no knowledge of that.

So, have we finalised the plan? What is the time line?


We have already announced that the time frame is by 2021.

Will the time frame be delayed?

I cannot answer you at this juncture.

Has the decision been made whether to go ahead?

I do not know, this depends on the paper (to be) presented to cabinet.

When will the paper be presented?


I don't know, you have to ask them. That is why I said the best is, they are the focal point, so ask them, lah.

The former PM explains why his administration did not pursue nuclear power programme.

In another development, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed his administration did not pursue nuclear power because of a "bad experience" with the technology.

"The cabinet then only supported the use of four methods to gain energy, namely fuel, coal, gas and hydro (electricity)," he said.

"The cabinet was not supportive of the nuclear energy option as there was a concern over how we would dispose of the waste. Furthermore, we have had a bad experience with it."

The former premier did not elaborate on what the “bad experience” was.

It is unclear if Mahathir was referring to the 1MW mini-reactor in Bangi, which was commissioned in 1982, and operated by Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research, now called the Malaysia Nuclear Agency.

Speaking to reporters after an event in Cyberjaya today, Mahathir said Malaysia still needs to do more research about fusion technology if it intends to build nuclear power plants.

Asked if he would advise the Malaysian government over its nuclear ambitions in light of a possible nuclear disaster in Japan, Mahathir retorted that he was not the government advisor.

"Furthermore, you all did not elect me long enough," he quipped.

1981 visit to Singapore

Mahathir was also asked clarify his claim in his recently released memoirs that he was given the cold shoulder by Singapore during his first visit to the city state as premier in 1981.

A reporter told Mahathir that he had wrongly stated that Benjamin Sheares was Singapore's president, rather than Devan Nair.

Mahathir defended the factual accuracy of his book, adding that his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali was his witness.

"I remember (it) well, as President Benjamin was also one of my teachers. Siti Hasmah was there and you can ask her also," he insisted.

Siti Hasmah was seated in the back row during the press conference.

In his 800-page memoirs, Mahathir wrote that he felt slighted during the visit as he was greeted only by a protocol officer at the Singaporean Prime Minister's Office and was put in a holding room.

“I was made to wait for about 15 minutes and felt very sorely used. This was not the proper way to greet a foreign visitor of equal rank,” he said.

He said that, when Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his successor Goh Chok Thong visited Kuala Lumpur, they were given the same treatment, while other heads of government were given a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House.

Mahathir also said that there was no state dinner during that visit to Singapore.

And when he paid a courtesy call on Sheares, who was his professor in medical college, they spoke for 20 minutes before the latter's aide said the president had another appointment.

“I took the hint, got up and left,” wrote Mahathir.

Some questions rejected

Mahathir was speaking to reporters after the launch of the Emkay Group Bhd's Bangunan Lestari “green building” in Cyberjaya.

During the press conference, Emkay Group chairperson Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar rejected several questions posed to Mahathir on grounds that questions that questions should be on green technology.

Rejected questions includes queries about whether Anwar Ibrahim should volunteer his DNA sample for the Sodomy II trial and whether Mahathir had been sued over contents of his memoirs.

Mustapha Kamal's antics included cutting off Mahathir from replying. This left some reporters muttering complaints but they did not protest.

In his speech earlier, Mahathir said green technology should be adopted, citing how industrialised cities such as London and California used to have smog problems when he visited the areas in 1962.

"However, years' on these cities improved and there is less pollution," he said.

"Now that we have the technology, we must use it to preserve the environment and to safeguard the air and atmosphere from being polluted.” - Malaysiakini

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