The use of nuclear energy sources has a negative connotation after the Cherobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima incidents. The impact of the release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere by these three incidents can still be seen until now. Despite the existence of this risk, Malaysia does not refuse to use nuclear energy to generate electricity to meet national energy needs.
According to the statement of Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli during the Energy Transition Conference yesterday, Malaysia cannot be fussy about using nuclear energy if it meets all the demands and needs of the country. In fact, according to him, Malaysia has no room to reject anything while recognizing the potential of small modular nuclear reactors.
In the same event, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nik Nazmi also said the government is considering nuclear power to meet the country's zero carbon emission policy target.
The use of nuclear fission reactors produces radioactive waste that needs to be monitored for thousands of years. But in operation it does not burn fossil fuels or flood large areas with water like other power generation systems.
At the end of last year, the success of producing electricity using nuclear fusion was successfully done at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In nuclear fusion only non-radioactive helium and neutrons are produced.
In China and South Korea, Tokamaks that produce man-made suns are used for the same purpose. This year, for example, China's Tokamak East maintained a temperature of 70 million degrees Celsius for 17.6 minutes, which is the longest period recorded in history.