Almost 75 percent of respondents in a survey on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's website were against nuclear power as an alternative energy source.

azlan Of the 722 participants in the survey at the time of writing, only 182 or 25 percent voted in favour of Malaysia going nuclear.

Majority of participants were in favour of solar energy (54 percent).

Others favoured energy derived from biomass (15.4 percent) and wind (5 percent).

The survey has been running since Monday.

Najib's administration has been toying with the idea of going nuclear by 2021 to end Malaysia's dependency on fossil fuels for energy.

Study underway

According to a blog posted on Monday, Najib said the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry has been given the green light to scout for suitable sites for a nuclear power plant.

nuclear power plant reactor fusion 040309 02 Najib argued that Malaysia needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels for energy because it is a finite resource.

This was also in line with Malaysia's aim to become a low carbon emission economy.

"As we consider all sources of energy, there has also been some attention given to nuclear energy. Nuclear is arguably efficient and cost effective.

"The question is this: is it the right one?" wrote Najib.

He said the government first conduct a comprehensive study on the topic and undertake feasibility studies.

"I am eager to understand better and to know the findings. If we press ahead with nuclear, 12 to 15 years could elapse before energy is produced using small reactors," he added.