From Bernama,

Scientist Says Malaysia Must Look At Nuclear Energy For Power PENANG, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) scientist says Malaysia must urgently consider nuclear energy as an alternative source of power as its crude oil reserves are forecast to run out in 19 more years. USM Centre for Education, Training and Research in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CETREE) director Prof Dr Kamarulazizi Ibrahim said the government should review the national nuclear policy and consider generating nuclear energy for the nation's needs. cont....

Is nuclear power the answer to Malaysia's energy needs in the future? It is my firm belief that there are alternatives to nuclear power. Generating nuclear energy requires expertise and a high standard of maintenance. It is also not friendly to the environment when another country has to harbour the nuclear waste. The effects of these waste products needs long term monitoring with many hidden dangers possibly still disguised. When countries inclined to preserve the environment are turning away from nuclear power to more sustainable sources, Malaysia would be foolish to embrace nuclear power.

There are many alternatives like hydroelectricity, solar energy or other possibly agricultural resources. We should not follow in the footsteps of current developed nations. We should take the initiative to find unchartered routes. A nuclear catastrophe will be disastrous for Malaysia and can annihilate our nation. No one can guarantee that nuclear power is safe, this when nuclear accidents have proven costly for nations like United States and Russia.

From BBC,

Pros # Nuclear power can generate large quantities of energy without releasing greenhouse gases # It does not depend on the weather # The UK's largest reactor generates the equivalent output of 1188 wind turbines. A nuclear fuel pellet, about half an inch long, provides the same amount of electricity as one and a half tonnes of coal. Cons # Spent fuel from nuclear power plants remains toxic for centuries and there is no safe permanent storage facility for it # Dismantling old reactors safely is highly expensive # Mining and enriching uranium also produces toxic waste # Uranium is a finite resource, although there are ways of recycling spent fuel # Fears of nuclear material stolen from power facilities being used by terrorists in a so-called "dirty bomb" have increased since the 11 September attacks # Nuclear power is currently generated from nuclear fission - splitting the nuclei of atoms. Nuclear fusion - combining atomic nuclei - is potentially cleaner because the fuels involved are different. But scientists have been trying to harness the energy from fusion for decades and some say a working fusion generator is still a lifetime away. # There is a close link betweeen civil and military uses of nuclear power