Nuclear energy the way to go for Peninsular Malaysia, says PMO adviser

Nurhisham Hussein said solar power could not provide a stable baseload supply, and Peninsular Malaysia did not have significant hydropower capacity like Sabah and Sarawak.

“So nuclear is the way to go, but that requires a lot of education and changes in policy,” he said on the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

“We will also have to sign on to many international treaties and look at the whole supply chain, from beginning to end, including how to manage waste, so all that is long-term discussion.”

He also said fossil fuel still plays a major role in the economy, especially diesel which is used by small businesses and traders.

“Many small traders and businesses came to us after diesel prices went up, saying they were badly affected. So we are looking at how they can shift from diesel to gas, because Malaysia has gas, while diesel we have to buy,” he said.

Nurhisham added that the proposed Asean power grid could allow Malaysia to tap cleaner energy by importing hydropower from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

“Once we have that, we will have a better renewable energy source,” he said.

Malaysia does not currently operate any nuclear power plant and relies mainly on gas, coal and renewable energy sources for electricity generation.

The idea of nuclear energy has since re-emerged in policy discussions amid higher global energy prices driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The energy transition and water transformation ministry launched a feasibility study in August 2025 following the tabling of the 13th Malaysia Plan.