AUGUST 21 — Energy has always been at the heart of human progress. Every major leap in industry and technology has been accompanied by a shift in how we power our industries. Coal fired the engines of the Industrial Revolution and propelled Britain to global influence. Oil and electricity fuelled America’s rise in the 20th century. Today the same question returns to us. What energy source will define the future, and where will Malaysia stand in it?

We face a difficult reality. Our energy demand is climbing year after year. As our economy grows, so does the appetite for power. It is no longer just homes and factories drawing electricity. The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) and its rapid expansion have accelerated the growth of power consuming AI data centres. Data centres have nearly doubled in Malaysia since 2021 and more are on the way. These are trends we can continue to expect seeing in a future where electricity demand will only increase.

At the same time, the climate clock is ticking. Malaysia has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. These are ambitious targets, and rightly so, because the cost of inaction is already visible. Floods, heatwaves, and shifting weather patterns are no longer distant warnings but lived realities for Malaysians today.

So the challenge is clear. How do we keep powering growth while reducing emissions?

Renewables will and must remain a big part of the energy mix. Solar, hydro, and biomass are expanding, but they come with limits. Solar depends on weather and are intermittent. Hydro requires massive investments, land and can disrupt ecosystems. Biomass competes with food and land. Large-scale batteries, often suggested as a solution to intermittency, are still too costly and limited in storage capacity. We cannot bet our entire future on sources that, while promising, cannot yet fully replace fossil fuels.

This is where nuclear energy in the form of small modular reactors (SMRs) deserves serious attention. Nuclear has long been dismissed in Malaysia as too expensive or too risky. But SMRs are changing that age old argument. They are designed to be safer, quicker to build, and cheaper than the old mega-reactors of the past. They are flexible enough to plug into different parts of the grid, and their land footprint is far smaller. Most importantly, they provide steady, near zero carbon electricity. This is something no other low-carbon source can guarantee at scale.

Encouragingly, Malaysia has already begun taking steps to transition to nuclear energy. The 13th Malaysia Plan outlines nuclear energy as part of the nation’s long-term energy mix by 2031. MyPOWER, a dedicated agency under the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation has been tasked with implementing the government's nuclear energy program under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines which includes building regulatory capacity and training a skilled workforce. On the international front, Malaysia has strengthened cooperation with the United States through their expressed readiness to commence negotiation on the 123 Agreement, a legally binding framework for significant peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and another country. This would give Malaysia access to nuclear technology, expertise, and US nuclear safety frameworks. And in Asean, Malaysia has played a responsible role by urging nuclear weapon states to ratify the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty — showing that our interest is firmly in peaceful, transparent, and cooperative nuclear development.

The opportunity is clear. Nuclear power could help Malaysia secure its energy future, meet its climate commitments, and fuel industries of tomorrow. But more than that, it could give us a strategic edge. History shows that countries mastering the energy technology of their age rise in influence. If we act early, Malaysia could position itself as a regional leader in clean and reliable energy, rather than a follower scrambling to catch up.

The question is not whether Malaysia can afford to adopt nuclear power. The real question is whether we can afford to be left behind? Hence, Malaysia should keep up its momentum on nuclear energy without turning back. 

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.