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New Paper
28-07-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Singapore must build nuclear energy capabilities: Tan See Leng
Singapore has to build its capabilities in nuclear energy even though it has not made a decision on its use, as countries in the region have publicly signalled their intent to build such facilities. Dr Tan See Leng, Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology, said in an interview on July 21 that the country needs to acquire technical expertise in this area to ensure its safety. "Our neighbours, the Philippines, Indonesia, have publicly signalled that they intend to build nuclear plants. So, regardless of whether we have made the decision, our neighbours have made the decision," he said in his first interview in the new portfolio. Dr Tan was previously overseeing energy issues as Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Five Asean countries - Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand - have said they are either studying the feasibility of advanced nuclear technology to meet their growing energy needs, or already have plans to build new reactors in the coming decades. As Singapore continues to evaluate the viability of nuclear energy for the country, local talents have to be trained so they can determine whether advanced nuclear technologies are safe and suitable for the Republic when these come onto the market, Dr Tan said. On July 11, the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute was launched with an aim to train 100 nuclear experts by 2030 - up from the 50 today. Singapore also renewed the Third Country Training Programme Memorandum of Understanding with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on July 25. Under the agreement, Singapore will develop training programmes with the UN nuclear watchdog to support developing IAEA member states with fellowships, scientific visits and training courses. Topics covered will include human health, industrial radiography, environmental radioactivity monitoring and analysis, and accelerator science. Singapore's approach to nuclear energy has changed over the years, as new technologies come online. In 2012, the Republic had initially considered atomic power nuclear technologies of that time unsuitable for deployment in the small city-state. Dr Tan noted that conventional nuclear plants are large, and require exclusive buffer zones. "Categorically, let me tell you that they will not be suitable for us," he said. But nuclear technologies have evolved since. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are thought to be more suitable for land-scarce, population-dense Singapore, as they have a lower power capacity, enhanced safety standards and require much smaller buffer zones, compared with conventional reactors. Dr Tan said: "We have not excluded that... because there is a lot of promise for some of the advanced modular reactors - the physics, the engineering, the technical feasibility, all point to the fact that they are possible, but it is just that commercially, they are still not viable yet." He also stressed that ensuring the safety of nuclear technologies is of "paramount importance" to the Government. While Dr Tan acknowledged that Singaporeans may still have certain perceptions about nuclear energy, he said the country still needs to press ahead in this area given the interest from some of its neighbours. Singapore has bilateral agreements with the United States and France to pursue cooperation on nuclear energy, which could better help in the country's evaluation of the viability. In July 2024, the Republic inked the 123 Agreement on Nuclear Cooperation with the US, which will allow Singapore to learn more about nuclear technologies and scientific research from American organisations. For example, local research institutes could work with US national laboratories and technology companies to perform safety simulations and modelling of SMRs. In May, Singapore and France signed agreements on nuclear energy to facilitate cooperation on safety, workforce development, research, environmental protection, the protection of public health, and emergency preparedness and response, among others. Dr Tan said that these partnerships will enable Singapore to learn more about the regulatory approvals, safety protocols, operations and engineering designs, among other things. The US tariffs are not likely to affect these agreements, he said. Dr Tan said that the learnings from the partnerships will help Singapore eventually make the assessment on whether to "jump in, or just stay at the capacity- and capability-building level". He added that Singapore is also open to exploring partnerships with other countries that have nuclear expertise, such as the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea.
Straits Times
27-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology Tan See Leng said that Singapore needs to acquire the technical expertise so the city-state can ensure its safety. SINGAPORE - Singapore has to build its capabilities in nuclear energy even though it has not made a decision on its use, as countries in the region have publicly signalled their intent to build such facilities. Dr Tan See Leng, Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology, said in an interview on July 21 that the country needs to acquire technical expertise in this area to ensure its safety. 'Our neighbours, the Philippines, Indonesia, have publicly signalled that they intend to build nuclear plants. So regardless of whether we have made the decision, our neighbours have made the decision,' he said, in his first interview in the new portfolio. Dr Tan was previously overseeing energy issues as Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Five Asean countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand – have said they are either studying the feasibility of advanced nuclear technology to meet their growing energy needs, or already have plans to build new reactors in the coming decades. As Singapore continues to evaluate the viability of nuclear energy for the country, local talents have to be trained so they can determine whether advanced nuclear technologies are safe and suitable for the Republic when these come onto the market, Dr Tan said. On July 11, the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute was launched, with an aim to train 100 nuclear experts by 2030 – up from the 50 today. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Under the agreement, Singapore will develop training programmes with the UN nuclear watchdog to support developing IAEA member states with fellowships, scientific visits and training courses. Topics covered will include human health, industrial radiography, environmental radioactivity monitoring and analysis, and accelerator science. Singapore's approach to nuclear energy has changed over the years, as new technologies come online. In 2012, the Republic had initially considered atomic power nuclear technologies of that time unsuitable for deployment in the small city-state. Dr Tan noted that conventional nuclear plants are large, and require exclusive buffer zones. 'Categorically, let me tell you that they will not be suitable for us,' he said. But nuclear technologies have evolved since. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are thought to be more suitable for land-scarce, population-dense Singapore, as they have a lower power capacity, enhanced safety standards and require much smaller buffer zones, compared with conventional reactors. Dr Tan said: 'We have not excluded that... because there's a lot of promise for some of the advanced modular reactors – the physics, the engineering, the technical feasibility, all point to the fact that they are possible, but it's just that commercially, they are still not viable yet.' He also stressed that ensuring the safety of nuclear technologies is of 'paramount importance' to the Government. While Dr Tan acknowledged that Singaporeans may still have certain perceptions about nuclear energy, he said the country still needs to press ahead in this area given the interest from some of its neighbours. Singapore has bilateral agreements with the United States and France to pursue cooperation on nuclear energy, which could better help in the country's evaluation of the viability. In July 2024, the Republic inked the 123 Agreement on Nuclear Cooperation with the US , which will allow Singapore to learn more about nuclear technologies and scientific research from American organisations. For example, local research institutes could work with US national laboratories and technology companies to perform safety simulations and modelling of SMRs. In May, Singapore and France signed agreements on nuclear energy to facilitate cooperation on safety, workforce development, research, environmental protection, the protection of public health, and emergency preparedness and response, among others. More on this topic With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng Dr Tan said that these partnerships will enable Singapore to learn more about the regulatory approvals, safety protocols, operations and engineering designs, among other things. The US tariffs are not likely to affect these agreements, he said. Dr Tan said that the learnings from the partnerships will help Singapore eventually make the assessment on whether to 'jump in, or just stay at the capacity- and capability-building level'. He added that Singapore is also open to exploring partnerships with other countries that have nuclear expertise, such as the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea.
CNA
25-07-2025
- Science
- CNA
Singapore renews agreement with UN nuclear watchdog to help developing nations build nuclear expertise
SINGAPORE: Singapore on Friday (Jul 25) renewed an agreement with the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to help train experts from developing countries in nuclear research. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi signed the renewed deal, known as the Third Country Training Programme, at the National University of Singapore. Under the agreement, Singapore will develop training programmes with IAEA to support developing member states in the Asia Pacific region and beyond through fellowships, scientific visits and training courses, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) in a separate press release on Friday. 'Topics covered will include human health, industrial radiography, environmental radiography monitoring and analysis, and accelerator science,' MSE said. The agreement will not cover military or defence-related uses of nuclear technology, the ministry confirmed in response to queries from CNA. When asked about how the collaboration has grown and what more Singapore can do to build a safe and peaceful nuclear technology environment in the region, Mr Grossi said the cooperation between Singapore and IAEA has taken on a "number of dimensions" that have to do with nuclear applications. The agency has been working with different Singapore institutions "very successfully", he added. "Now, of course, there is this new ingredient because there is an interest to move into nuclear energy, and this is going to be adding frequency, maybe, and intensity of contacts we are having." The first agreement was inked in 2000 and then renewed in 2015. Singapore has worked with the IAEA to train other nations in building their nuclear expertise under these deals. More than 140 participants from 27 countries were trained through 17 fellowships and seven capacity-building programmes, MSE noted. 'These included both workshops and longer-term fellowship programmes, covering topics such as nuclear medicine, nuclear law, food safety and pest control,' said MSE in the press release. Singapore 'strongly supports' IAEA's focus on building the international community's capabilities for safe, secure and peaceful applications of nuclear technology, said Ms Fu. "As a responsible member of the international community, Singapore actively participates in the IAEA's work to promote and uphold high standards of nuclear safety, security and safeguards, regionally and globally," she added. As the host country for the activities that would take place under the agreement, participants from Singapore would have greater access to IAEA and the international experts conducting these activities, said MSE. Addressing common challenges such as human health, climate change and food security is also in countries' collective interests, it added. There are currently no operational nuclear reactors in Southeast Asia, though some countries, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, have been exploring the use of nuclear power as a potential source of clean energy. Singapore and a few other neighbouring nations have made it clear that no decision has been made on whether to adopt nuclear energy, but the idea is being studied alongside other possible sustainable energy options. Apart from the latest agreement with IAEA, Singapore also has nuclear cooperation agreements with other countries and jurisdictions. This includes the 123 Agreement signed with the United States in 2024, a 30-year deal that furthers civil nuclear cooperation on advanced nuclear energy technologies between both nations. Mr Grossi is in Singapore as part of the S R Nathan fellowship, a high-level programme for foreign leaders and prominent individuals to visit the country. On Friday morning, Mr Grossi also met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He later delivered a lecture hosted by the newly launched Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute at NUS and visited the National Environment Agency and the institute's facilities. Mr Wong noted on Friday evening that Singapore has been a member of the IAEA since 1967 and strongly supports its work. "Singapore government agencies contribute to several technical committees, and we have greatly benefited from IAEA's expertise in nuclear medicine, imaging, and oncology," the Prime Minister wrote in a Facebook post.
