The use of nuclear energy to power Malaysia's electricity supply is a hotly debated topic, with the federal government recently also saying that they will consider using nuclear energy in Malaysia soon.
Today, the Selangor government through Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari informed the State Legislative Assembly and said that the government is currently in the process of building knowledge and expertise to utilize nuclear energy technology in the state.
"We are focusing on capacity building, including sending officers trained in nuclear-related fields," he said in response to a question from Mariam Abdul Rashid (PH-Meru).
The state government will also negotiate with local universities such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for collaboration on the introduction of development-related subjects and expertise in the field of nuclear energy.
Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that he had also discussed with a number of Malaysian students at Tsinghua University and found that nuclear energy was a topic that was seen as "taboo" to talk about, and therefore, those interested in the field had no choice but to go outside Malaysia to learn about it.
He further said that the transition to sustainable and nuclear energy is something that needs to be initiated because the state can no longer continue to rely on fossil energy supplies such as gas, petroleum and coal as these resources will eventually run out.
According to reports, it is expected that the Selangor government will try to use nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source within the next five years.
