Sabah offers to host Malaysia's proposed nuclear energy hub

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is prepared to be considered as a potential hub for Malaysia's proposed nuclear energy programme, said State Government Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman Datuk Masiung Banah.

He said the state needed to prepare for rising electricity demand by 2031, while reducing its reliance on natural gas and diesel amid volatile global energy markets.

Masiung said Sabah's electricity supply capacity remained strained and lagged behind the development of utilities in Peninsular Malaysia.

"BBC sees the need for the Sabah government to prepare for a surge in electricity demand by 2031 and reduce dependence on natural gas and diesel amid volatile global markets.

"Therefore, Sabah is ready to propose itself as the first hub for this high-impact nuclear programme," he said in a statement.

He said the Sabah and Federal governments could work together to develop the programme, with negotiations pursued under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) framework.

Masiung's proposal follows Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof's remarks that Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia were the most practical locations for a nuclear power plant in the coming decades, should the country decide to pursue nuclear energy.

The Kuamut assemblyman also suggested that Malaysia consider floating nuclear power plants, saying their construction costs and timelines could offer greater flexibility and be suited to Sabah's extensive coastline.