Malaysia has pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2050 under its National Energy Transition Roadmap, launched in 2023. But despite growing investment in renewables, coal and gas still dominate the grid.
New industries, foreign investment, and the boom in data centres are rapidly driving up consumption. Malaysia has received data centre power applications exceeding 11 gigawatts – almost 40% of Peninsular Malaysia’s current capacity. Sabah alone has faced frequent power reliability issues. In September, a blackout hit more than 230,000 consumers across six east coast districts after a high-voltage transmission tower collapsed during heavy rain and landslides.
Nuclear power is often compared to aviation – feared by some, yet statistically among the safest when measured by fatalities per unit of energy or passenger mile. Plants have operated for decades under strict regulations, supplying around 10% of the world’s electricity. For example, the Russian nuclear industry has operated for 80 years. Nuclear plants worldwide have run safely, providing 10% of global electricity. Nuclear fuel is also deemed one of the most efficient energy sources. According to the US department of energy, one uranium pellet – about an inch tall – generates as much energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 120 gallons of oil, or one tonne of coal.
Globally, 32 countries operate nuclear plants, and around 50 more are preparing programmes. In Asean, several neighbours are already taking steps. The Philippines is targeting up to 4,800MW of nuclear power by 2050, Vietnam has reintroduced nuclear power into its power plan, and Indonesia is exploring small modular and floating reactors with a 2030s timeline. Thailand meanwhile has signed cooperation agreements to study SMRs.
In 2024 nuclear plants
supplied 2667 TWh of electricity, up from 2601 TWh in 2023.
Figure 1: Nuclear electricity production 1970-2024 (source: World Nuclear Association, IAEA PRIS)
Figure 2: World electricity production by source 2023 (source: International Energy Agency)
Fourteen countries in
2024 produced at least one-quarter of their electricity from nuclear.
France gets up to around 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, while
Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary get about half from nuclear. Japan was used to
relying on nuclear power for more than one-quarter of its electricity and is
expected to return to somewhere near that level.
Figure 3: Nuclear generation by country 2024 (source: World Nuclear Association, IAEA PRIS)
In July, energy transition and water transformation minister Fadillah Yusof announced that MyPower Corporation had been appointed as the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation, tasked with preparing feasibility studies on technology, regulation, financing and public engagement. Malaysia is weighing three main pathways:
·
A full-scale 2,000MW plant,
enough to power roughly two million homes – roughly the whole of Penang.
·
Small modular reactors
(100-300MW), suitable for hubs such as Pengerang in Johor or Samalaju in
Sarawak; and
· Floating units, ideal for islands such as Labuan or Langkawi.
As the clock ticks toward 2050, Malaysia’s decision on nuclear energy could determine whether the country succeeds in meeting its net-zero pledge.
References:
Malaysia going nuclear explained, Danish Raja Reza, FMT, 29 September 2025
Nuclear Power in the World Today, World Nuclear Association, 3 October 2025
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