KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 30 (New Straits Times) -- Malaysia should emulate Japan in taking steps to generate electricity from nuclear power.

Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said with increasing global demand for clean and sustainable energy, there was a need for peaceful, safe and effective use of nuclear energy.

"For Malaysia, the nuclear power programme can be initiated via a small and medium sized nuclear power plant as a power demonstration reactor (PDR), before larger plants which are more cost effective are built," he said in a speech at the opening of the International Nuclear Conference 2009 yesterday. It was read by his deputy Fadhillah Yusuf.

Ongkili said the approach taken by Japan saw it initially build a PDR generating only 13 megawatts of electricity from 1963 to 1982, before building 53 larger plants with 340 megawatt to 1,300 megawatt capacities.

"Nuclear energy now supplies almost 30 per cent of Japan's total electricity requirements."

He said there was renewed interest in using nuclear energy for electricity generation due to the realisation that the available national energy resources were inadequate to guarantee supply beyond 2020.

Currently, electricity generation is predominantly based on natural gas, coal and hydropower.

Ongkili said oil was no longer a viable option for electricity generation due to diminishing reserves. The country is expected to become a net oil importer some time between 2011 and 2013.

He said the fluctuating prices of the commodity also did not augur well for oil to be used for electricity generation.

There was also uncertainty over gas supply to the power sector in the peninsula beyond 2018, he said.

Coal-fired electricity generation, he added, was also not attractive due to fact that the commodity was fully imported.

Ongkili said renewable energy utilisation was hampered by the lack of economic competitiveness and scale, compared to traditional fuel sources.

"Undoubtedly, nuclear energy is now seen as a viable and proven energy source to sustain national socio-economic development beyond the year 2020."

He said the move was not only to ensure national energy security but also to help reduce greenhouse gas emission.

Ongkili allayed concerns on the risks associated with nuclear power generation, saying there was a new international emphasis on safety and security.

Malaysia, as a party to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, placed high importance on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Later, Fadhillah said a joint paper by his ministry and the Energy, Water and Green Technology Ministry on the generation of electricity from nuclear energy had been submitted to the cabinet.