Kota Kinabalu: Gagasan Rakyat leader Datuk Victor P Paut said Sabah must get its own house in order first by fixing crumbling roads, resolving persistent water shortages and ensuring reliable electricity reaches every rural community before considering nuclear energy.
The party’s Tambunan coordinator said it made little sense to leap into advanced energy projects when thousands of Sabahans still struggle without these most basic services.
“These are fundamental issues that must be addressed like the problem of damaged village roads and the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah, where much work remains to be done,” he said in a statement.
He pointed to ongoing water supply woes hitting districts including Sandakan and Tawau, as well as uneven electricity access in rural areas — challenges that affect daily life far more urgently than long-term energy plans.
Victor, who is also deputy chairman of the Sawit Kinabalu Group and Borneo Samudera Sdn Bhd, cited China which built strong foundations first before stepping into high-tech sectors like nuclear energy.
His comments were in response to recent remarks by Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, that Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia could be practical locations for nuclear power development in the next decade.
Fadillah observed that Sarawak already meets around 70pc of its electricity needs through the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam.
Meanwhile, Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri President Datuk Henrynus Amin said a proposal to build Floating Nuclear Power Plants (FNPPs) off Sabah’s coast is “ill-conceived, dangerously short-sighted and a potential recipe for environmental disaster.”He said Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor should reject the proposal lest irreparable harm is done to Sabah’s environment, economy and reputation.
Citing Sabah Energy Master Plan and Roadmap 2040 (SE-RAMP 2040), he said Sabah tapped less than 5pc of its total clean energy resources including vast solar, underutilised hydro, over 100 MW of untapped geothermal energy in Tawau, plus biomass and ocean thermal potential.
“Why introduce nuclear when Sabah has harnessed less than 1pc of its vast solar potential and under 10pc of its total hydro capacity?” he asked.
He also noted that the Sabah–Sarawak grid interconnection offers immediate access to affordable Sarawak hydropower, a practical bridge while Sabah systematically builds its own renewable capacity.
Henrynus clarified that Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof spoke only in general terms about studying nuclear feasibility nationally.
“He did not propose floating plants, nor did he single out Sabah. Kuamut Assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah had taken those broad comments and turned them into a reckless idea.”He said Russia is the only country operating a commercial FNPP — the Akademik Lomonosov — and it took over 12 years to complete amid massive delays and cost overrunsChina and South Korea are still in planning and research phases, he said adding no nation has yet fully demonstrated this technology as a safe, reliable coastal solution.
“If major nuclear-capable nations have not fully commercialised or proven this technology, why should Sabah allow itself to be treated as an experimental testing ground?”Henrynus also warned the proposal threatens the very foundation of Sabah’s eco-tourism identity.
