AFTER PETROL WHAT IS NEXT?

The petrol supply and its price is the lifeline of a country's economy and survival. Too much supply or the lack of it will affect the health of the country. However it is the price increase that is more worrisome as it will affect everything from transportation to electricity bills and cost of thousand items. We can see the effect of the spiraling food prices in Malaysia recently when the government decided to incease the petrol price at the pumps from RM1.97 up to RM2.70 in response to the global crude oil price increase to close to US140 per barrel. Eventhough as an exporter of crude oil, Malaysia has a lot to gain when the price of crude goes up in terms of the country revenue, the effect of the petrol price increase is a political suicide. Too low of the price will reduce Malaysia's income which can be used to support her budget to develope the country, too high a price will increase the inflation rate.

It is estimated that Malaysia's reserve of oil can only last at the most for another 10 years while the gas reserve can go another 20 years. What is next after that? Are we going to be the net importer of oil and at the mercy of oil producing countries?

As a sovereign nation, it is imperative for Malaysia to start looking and researching for the next alternative to produce energy to feed her industries and common use. Malaysia is currently relying on petrol, coal and hydro to produce eletricity. However, the cost of supply of petrol and coal is increasing which will translate to higher bills for the people. The use of dams are clean but might not be sustainable from the point of view of environmental issues.

Malaysia needs to invest money into research of using the solar, wind and as a last resort the nuclear technology to cater for her needs beyond the 21st century. The use of solar and wind power to generate the electricity will be a bit subjective as Malaysia has a large cloud covers over her skies, and sustained blowing wind will depend on locations and season. However, their usage can help reduce dependency on petrol. A lot countries in the world are already using these two methods to reduce their dependency on petrol. Some countries are using the power of the waves along their shoreline to produce electricity to supply small towns. This method can be tested for eastcoast towns in Malaysia where the waves can reach 1.5m for a few months of the year.

The last and most controversial method is the usage of nuclear reactors to produce steams to push the turbines. Nuclear has a long life span of 100 years if i am not mistaken, however it is costly and takes about 15 years to construct, and have a few environmental issues as can be seen in the Chernobyl episode in Russia. But, with a proper planning and management the risks can be reduced and the people of Malaysia can see affordable electric bills hopefully. I believe Malaysia has commenced a research on nuclear on a small scale years ago, what the government needs to do now is pouring more money in this field and start courting with friendly nations like Russia and China for technical assistance in erecting the reactors.

Why am i only suggesting Russia and China and not the US? Well, i believe the US policy in relation to nuclear issues is inconsistent depending on her interest as can be seen in the case of Iran. Russia and China tend not to mix other issues with business unlike the US. With the Islamic phobia going on around the world due to 9/11, will Malaysia being an islamic country going to cause concern by going nuclear? Well, i think it is worth a try for the sake of its people.