Does Malaysia Should Have Its Own NPP? You decide!

Malaysia is already ready to handle with the preparation, safety and handling the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). A few past decades ago, in the year 1985, Malaysia has sent several engineers to Australia to conduct a training in nuclear science. From the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board Malaysia, Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Nooramly Muslim stated that 95% of the nuclear science graduates (Degree, Masters and Ph.D) were currently working in a various sector. Their skills and knowledge gained from the experience will then be hired to support national planning to have NPP. The truth is, we are not delaying to apply nuclear energy as the new resource, but government is deciding to operate NPP in the year 2021. 10 - 15 years needed to train with high level skills before we operate the NPP. As we compared to our neighbor, Bangladesh, is always known as "backward countries" is also looking for NPP as their resource even faster than us! They have a lot of professional workers that working in a developed countries and they will come back to their hometown for their own nuclear industry which is expected to be completed in 2012. At what level is Malaysia now?

Malaysia is not new into this nuclear technology. Knowingly or not, Malaysia already has its own nuclear reactor, known as Reaktor Triga Puspati (RTP), began operations since 1982! For the purpose of research and development that focuses on medical, agricultural and neutron research as conducted by Nuclear Malaysia Agency. They are more than 40 professionals (Ph.D) as the backbone to moves this agency.

Somehow, Malaysian are so scared to have NPP in the country because of WEAK knowledge and exposure about the beauty of nuclear technology. China, the most largest coals producer also already have their own NPP. Did we realized that Japan, the country that was bombed (Hiroshima & Nagasaki) by the nuclear technology itself is also generating their electric resource by using nuclear technology? It was happened for a half century ago! Do we want to still "trauma" about the tragedy? We will let you think, and choose.

Lets have a look with our 2 largest and popular dams in Malaysia; Kenyir Dam and Temenggor Dam, we are still lagging far behind. Why?

Temenggor Dam	Kenyir Dam
4 Turbines	4 Turbines
Installed Capacity : 384 MW	Installed Capacity : 400 MW
Area : 152 km²	Area : 370 km²

NPP at Ikata, Japan.

As compared to the nuclear technology, for an example, lets choose Japan's NPP located in Ikata, Japan. It have 3 reactors, each reactor can operate at minimum electric capacity 566 MW and maximum capacity is 890 MW. Can you imagine how when all of these 3 reactors operates at one time? Maximum electric capacity can be generated is more than 2000 MW in one location only. Is it amazing? Yes, it is brilliantly amazing. Furthermore, this NPP in Ikata just took 18 km² which is only the same size with Bukit Bintang! Compared to our Temenggor and Kenyir Dam, forests as our national treasures have to be explored to build the dams.

Yes, in 2012 we are expected to see Bakun Dam to be operate, located in Sarawak. It have 8 turbines which is can generate 2400 MW electric capacity at one time. But, does we realized how much land it takes to build this "2400 MW"  dam? The answer is 695 km², which is approximately same with Singapore! Can you imagine where does all the greens gone?

Well, nuclear energy is a green technology. Its not like others greenhouse that emit CO2. Nuclear will not release its radioactive to the air as other power plant do by using coals or diesels. Hence, cost to operate this nuclear power will decrease as we not using those coals and fossil fuels. This things will give advantages to all Malaysian, when the electricity tariffs will be more cheaper, and its good to attract inventors into the country.

For the latest news, Malaysian government has stated that they are looking for 8 places to build NPP which is expected to start the construction in 2015 and will announced decisions in 2012. But the question is, where are these 8 places will be? KL? Selangor? Negeri Sembilan? Pahang? Perak? Sabah? Sarawak? We will leave it to you to discuss. (",)

Nuclear Safety

Do you think that it is safe to build NPP in our country? Around your residence area? Are you dare to face this?

Current technologies of NPP using depth in defend concept. It has about six layers to protect from radioactive. As you can see at the right hand side figure, it was designed to put nuclear reactor at high security levels.

As we looking at the Chernobyl disaster, one of the main reason why the accident occurred is because of the design of the reactor itself. It consists only two layers which are control rods and reactor vessel. Current technology is more safer to prevent from terrorists attack. Therefore, there are no points for citizen to worry about or even they live near to the NPP.

Mostly all NPP were built near to sea. The reason is the plant can use the sea water as a coolant. Do you think this NPP design is safe to the sea ecosystem? And to the fisherman? Some of the them claimed that by using this technology will affect their hauls. However, until now there is no proof about the statement. As we look the NPP in Japan, for example, their citizen enjoying their routine life without having any fear, even they are living nearby the NPP. To be remembered, the well known tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the WW II, they are still can cope and believe that the past incident just misused of the nuclear technology.

Malaysian should take this kind of mentality. Why we are still thinking of negative feedback about the nuclear? Indeed, this technology doesn't harmful to the environment and lives.

Nuke4iNfernO Crew - Future Nuclear Engineer

Even though each of us are busy with final examinations and FYP thesis but we still able to make some space for our group photo-shoot, and we have fun doing it! (",)

From left : Kepos, Wira, Deli & Hazran

Cheers for Nuclear Technology!

NUCLEAR POWER VS COAL POWER

Hi.What we have learned so far about the nuclear energy in the class,we do not see any cons for nuclear power. Therefore I will tell you the advantage of nuclear power.Nuclear power is the cheapest ways to produce electric power. The generation cost ($/kWh) is definitely  less than the other technologies of electricity generation . We cannot do comparison between nuclear power and  hydraulic power. Everybody can build a nuclear reactor to anywhere they want. However,coal fired plant must be built close to coal mines and a dam can only be built to a very specific place at a river basin.

The cost of generation includes capital cost. The capital cost = interest paid for the load + operaton + maintance cost  + the fuel cost

 Nuclear power plants use small amount of land. The other alternatives need more land than NPP.For example,solar or wind need many times more land to generate similar power.The exhaust gases from fossile fired plants contain CO2. Currently,there is no way to get rid of CO2. This gas is main contributer of temperature increase in our life. Coal consist of sulphur and when burned, SO2 is produced. This gas causes acid rains. The cost of electricity will increase although of the sulphor can be scrubed from the coal while or after the combustion.We must remember,if the burners operate at high temperatures, like in gas turbines and diesel  engines, nitrogen oxides will be generated. This gas is causes of the ozone depletion in the atmosphere.The other info is,the ash from a fossile fired plant accumulates around the power plant as ash mountains.Ash contains toxic elements just like cadmium and radioactive elements (uranium and thorium).

Nuclear power produced very little amount of highly radioactive waste. The toxicidity of this waste dissapear with time.Nuclear enery gives energy independence to a nation.
The nation that do not dependent to foreign energy resouces have  free hand in diplomacy considering the strings attached to gas and petroleum sales in the international markets.

Nuclear Power Plant at Port Dickson ???

Hot issue!!!.MB Negeri Sembilan, Mohamad Hassan wants to build a nuclear power plant in Bukit Kepong Lake near Port Dickson beach resort a lively past, but now almost a dead city.
News about  nuclear power plant in Port Dickson has been reported by a blogger Singalautmetro. Nuclear Agency has issued a number of locations including in Negeri Sembilan and Perak have been considered for the proposed nuclear plant, confirming speculation Tasik Bukit Kepong.Tenaga Nasional Berhad has been given the responsibility to implement the project.Tasik Bukit Kepong unique because its shape is like the crater with a depth of 15 meters from its base. The area is more than 10km able to provide more than 80 hectares of land area needed for a nuclear plant.Tuanku Jaffar power plant near the lake and it has the technical facilities to support a nuclear power plant capacity of 1000MW.DS Najib is expected to announce the location of the first nuclear power plant is estimated to cost between RM6.5 billion to RM9.75 billion in 2012. Nuclear power plant construction scheduled to begin in 2015.

DO YOU ALL AGREE WITH THIS??

Why Nuclear Technology is important for future energy & environment sust...

This is our nuclear video showing a scenario of what happen in the future to Malaysia if we don't take nuclear technology seriously. The video will also explain the environmental effect and how Nuclear Power Plant works.... Hope this video will give you guys a little information about nuclear...

The nuclear power demand.

In this topic, we will debating about the electrical generated by nuclear power plant that supplying the energy daily needed. Although at present the world is fighting the challenge of energy supply, next generations worries will take into account other fundamental aspects as how to run transports and potential lack of water, which are both primary needs. Today, about 85 percent of world energy needs come from exhaustible resources, mainly fossil fuels and as a minor contributor, uranium. The oil supply covers about 34%, by far the largest share, followed by coal (24%), natural gas (21.5%), nuclear (5.5%) and renewables (15%), including traditional biomass. As we know before, one third of these sources is used for electricity production of about 16,000 Terawatt hours per every year. Considering the world energy demand, it must be seriously doubted whether increasing rates of fossil fuel supplies are to be considered sustainable. It is much more likely, that their share will strongly reduce until 2030 in favor of increasing renewable contributions. Moreover nuclear energy today avoids the emission of about 2 billion atm CO₂ annually.

Previously, in 1995, the electric utilities emissions of carbon dioxide world-wide were 32 percent lower than they would have been if nuclear energy had been used instead of fuel fossil. Let we know that the emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide were 35 and 31 percent lower, respectively. Globally, nuclear energy has been the most important factor in preventing carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions related to electric power generation. As proved, handling with safety, no other industry has invested so much time and money in the safety aspect of their business than has the nuclear industry. Over half the initial capital investment of a nuclear power plant goes into the safety systems, because of these and other relevant aspects, nuclear plant are to be considered among the best solutions to meet great energetic and environmental challenges. 

In addition, hydrogen production by nuclear energy which is electrolitically, and in the future high-temperature reactors, thermo chemically will assumed as a fundamental role. This so much discussed “energy carrier” is widely seen as the main future transport fuel, especially for the world environmental burden. Since ,its combustion produces only water vapor, with no carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide emissions. In addition,lack of potable water must be seriously considered, because it is set to become a constraint on development in many world regions. In fact, at present estimated that one fifth of the world's population does not have access to potable drinking water, and that this portion will increase due to population growth relative to water resources. The worst-affected areas are the arid and semiarid regions of Asia and North Africa. Wars over access to water, not simply energy and mineral resources, are therefore to be considered conceivable.

As a reflection, where water cannot be obtained from streams and aquifers, desalination of seawater or mineralized groundwater is required. Nuclear energy can help also in this direction, through the industrial process of desalination, which it is generally cost competitive with using fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is also an excellent source of process heat for various industrial applications including synthetic and unconventional oil production and from about 2003 various proposals have been made to use nuclear power to produce steam for extraction of oil. Lastly, use of nuclear energy as a heating source is greatly challenged by the economic factor since the nuclear heating reactors have relative small size and often the lower plant load factor. However, use of very simple reactor could be a possible way to supply heat economically.