KOTA KINABALU: The coordinator of PGRS DUN Tambunan, Dato’ Victor P. Paut, has expressed his approval for the proposal to establish nuclear power plants in the country to address electricity supply issues, particularly in Sabah.
However, he believes that the proposal would be more beneficial if the fundamental needs and infrastructure issues, such as road facilities, access to treated clean water, and basic electricity requirements for rural residents, are prioritised first.
“These are core issues that we must resolve initially. For instance, the problem of damaged village roads and the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah, where much work remains to be done.
“Similarly, the issue of clean water supply continues to affect several districts, including Sandakan and Tawau.
“In other countries, take China as an example. They have advanced significantly in developing the basic needs of their population… only then do they venture into nuclear energy and similar fields,” he stated.
Datuk Victor, who is also the Deputy Chairman of Sawit Kinabalu Group and Borneo Samudera Sd.Bhd, made these comments when commenting the suitability of establishing a nuclear power plant in Sabah.
Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof mentioned that Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia are the most practical choices for developing nuclear power plants in the coming decade if the country agrees to this new proposal.
Fadilah, who is also the Minister of Energy and Water Transformation, noted that in Sarawak, energy issues do not arise as the Bakun Hydroelectric project contributes 70 percent of the region’s energy needs.
