Govt 'stealthily' pursuing nuke plan: 7 sites named, contracts worth RM21.3bil

Thirty non-governmental organisations and rights groups representing various fields have come together to voice displeasure over the government's plan to build two nuclear reactors ignoring any consultation with the public.

In a statement to the media, they revealed that the government had been quietly going ahead with the plan in the wake of the tragedy that befell the Fukushima plant in Japan, citing information obtained from a forum early this year.

"At a forum in February 2012, statements by the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) revealed that the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project has tiptoed to an advanced stage of development," the statement said, adding that the final decision to 'go nuclear' would be made next year or in 2014.

The statement was supported by among others the Consumers' Association of Penang, Third World Network, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Tenaganita, TERAS Pengupayaan Melayu, Women's Aid Organisation, Centre for Independent Journalism and Stop Lynas Coalition.

They cited a government report on the project which said a pre-feasibility study on nuclear energy for electricity generation was completed in 2010, while construction of two nuclear power plants has been identified.

Contracts worth RM21.3bil to be given out: 7 coastal sites

The MNPC is also said to be preparing a Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development Plan by 2013 to deliver Malaysia’s first nuclear power plant by 2021.

A detailed timeline on nuclear power deployment according to a laboratory report done for the National Key Economic Areas has stated that nuclear sites would be selected in 2014.

This stage is marked in the report as "point of no return" when the contract for the plan, believed to be worth RM21.3 billion, will be awarded.

The groups named several potential sites for the nuclear facilities (see map) which include five coastal sites (one each in Kedah, Perak and Terengganu and two in Johor) and two inland sites (Tasik Temenggor, Perak, and Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu).

They also claimed that US firm Burns and Roe Enterprises Incorporated had been appointed to conduct feasibility studies on the Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development Plan.

"We are disappointed that the Malaysian government is determined to consider nuclear as an energy option when such technology has been rejected by a growing number of countries and carries enormous risks to health and public safety, including the indefinite accumulation of radioactive waste, which cannot be disposed of safely and which will remain lethal to future generations of Malaysians for thousands of years," the statement added.

Saying nuclear power was not an option for Malaysia, the NGOs called on the government to look into renewable energy.

"Besides, the cost of nuclear energy is escalating world over while the costs of renewable energy have been declining."

"We further demand that the government come clean on its plans including disclosing the potential sites for the nuclear power plants. We call on the government to stop the on-going implementation process immediately," it stressed.

-Harakahdaily