Nuclear Option...

The sound level on talks about nuclear power program for the country gained more decibel recently; again due in large part to the escalating price of oil. Opinions, statements, letter to editors in national mainstream media abound. The links to some of them below will be updated from time to time:

1. thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/15/
focus/21511974&sec=focus

Coincidentally, the tide of sentiment on nuclear energy in the country follows global trend. As the world is undergoing what is termed as 'nuclear renaissance' the country too began to see nuclear as more than just the last option. Even though there is no official decisions on that yet but voices for it have come from sources who have not spoken about it before.
In the 1970s-1980s the country looked at the possibility of having nuclear energy in her energy mix. Hence a nuclear research institute was established as a starting point to that long journey. Along the way, not even midway, the country discovered oil and is now a nett oil exporter. Soon, the push for nuclear energy dwindled and dispersed. This decline in interest also coincided with the same decline in interest globally but the reasons were Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
If oil was the reason for it to lose steam, it seems that the same is the source for it to gain steam again, but this time due to the impending depletion of that natural resource.