Malaysia's nuclear plans delayed

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 1 (UPI) -- Malaysia's nuclear plans could take more than 15 years to implement.

Analysts say the government needs to be more assertive if it wants to put nuclear power plants in place, the New Straits Times reported.

The government needs to train experts and map suitable sites for nuclear plants in order to keep up with its goals, industry experts said.

"If we start from scratch, from commissioning the project to making it into working nuclear, I'll say we need about 15 years. And that's a conservative projection," one industry researcher said.

But first, a clear policy needs to be put in place to spell out what needs to be done. Malaysia can adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency's guidelines and modify them to suit local needs.

Officials also said the public should be equipped with the right information because negative perceptions on nuclear power come most often from misinformation.

According to the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, public acceptance is centered on four risk perceptions: nuclear power plant safety and accident risks, power plant siting, waste management and disposal, and threat of nuclear weapons proliferation.