This follows several disasters involving nuclear stations in Japan.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri said initially the target date was supposed to be 2021.
The proposed two nuclear plants were reported to cost a total of RM23.1 billion.
The projects were supposed to start in 2013 but rescheduled to 2021, Nancy said.
“However, after the 2001 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster, we have rescheduled them,” she said at the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to Noor Ehsanuddin Harun Narrashid (Umno-Kota Tinggi), who asked the prime minister for information on the construction of the two nuclear plants with a capacity to produce two gigawatts of power, as listed under the National Economic Transformation Programme.
Nancy said if the government planned to go ahead with the projects, it would take 11 years from the bidding process to complete them.
“It will also depend on the bill that is tabled at Parliament.”
She added that Malaysia was also part of the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (Zopfan) with Asean countries on nuclear matters.
In the declaration, the parties publicly stated their intent to keep Southeast Asian countries “free from any form or manner of interference by outside powers” and “broaden the areas of cooperation”.
The Batang Sadong lawmaker said Malaysia had taken into consideration the opinions of other Asean countries.
“The nuclear plants are not for the purpose of war but to generate electricity.”
She said Vietnam was also working with Russia to build the first nuclear reactor.