The use of nuclear technology can help improve the quality of Malaysian timber products meant for the international market, said Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Jamaludin Jarjis on Thursday.
Timber treated using nuclear technology was more resilient to pests like termites, he told reporters at the 11th International Conference on Radiation Curing in Kuantan, capital city of Pahang state.
"Besides ensuring the quality of timber, such technology can also be used, for example, to detect the percentage of the sandalwood oil content in the making of products like perfumes," the national news agency Bernama quoted Jamaludin as saying.
Jamaludin also said that Malaysia should be prepared to have its own nuclear plants in view of the high usage of electricity and rising fuel costs.
The ministry, he said, would submit a proposal to the cabinet for the construction of a 30-megawatt nuclear reactor under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
"So far, we only have a one-megawatt reactor in Bangi, Selangor (central state of Malaysia)," he said.
The minister further said that Malaysia planned to build a 100 million ringgit (29 million U.S. dollars) nuclear monitoring laboratory in Bukit Ibam, Rompin, Pahang state, next year. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
