Sharma said the UK is interested in collaborating with Malaysia on small modular reactors, which could support the country’s industrial energy needs and position it as a regional hub, Bernama reported.

“I see Malaysia-UK cooperation on civil nuclear as beneficial not only for Malaysia’s energy needs and industrial development, but also in supporting the economic development and energy needs of the Asean region.

“So Malaysia can be a hub for Asean in civil nuclear,” he said after speaking at the English-Speaking Union Malaysia Tea Talk 2026 on Language and Diplomacy on Thursday.

Discussions on civil nuclear cooperation are at an early stage, Sharma said, with no decisions yet, although the UK is interested in pursuing this with Malaysia.

He added that such cooperation could help Malaysia and the region better prepare for future global energy crises.

“This (civil nuclear) will help (address the energy crisis). You will not be so dependent on oil and gas coming from West Asia if you have your own civil nuclear energy,” he said.

Malaysia does not currently operate any nuclear power plants and relies mainly on gas, coal and renewable energy sources for electricity generation.

The Malaysian Nuclear Power Corporation was established in 2011 to explore nuclear energy development, with initial plans for a nuclear plant by 2021 but they were shelved in 2018 due to concerns over expertise, safety, and radioactive waste management.

Nuclear energy is now back under consideration due to the surge in oil prices resulting from the Middle East conflict, said deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof.