Singapore is warming up to atomic power as advanced technologies are making the controversial energy source safer. -- PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The Republic is stepping up efforts to determine if nuclear energy is viable for the country, following national assessments that emerging nuclear technologies could be suitable for the island state even if conventional ones are not.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) wants to tap expert knowledge to study the safety performance of various advanced nuclear technologies being developed globally, The Straits Times has learnt.
In a tender released on government procurement website GeBiz in December 2024, EMA called for proposals from consultants to conduct a year-long study on this issue.
“This consultancy study is part of our efforts to build capabilities to assess the viability of nuclear energy for Singapore in the longer term,” EMA added.
Singapore – which in 2012 decided that atomic power was unsuitable for the small island state – is warming up to it as advanced technologies are making the controversial energy source safer. In 2022, a study showed it was feasible for Singapore’s carbon-intensive energy sector to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, with nuclear energy supplying about 10 per cent of the country’s energy needs.
The initial pre-tender stage for the study closed on Jan 17 with 24 applicants.
The applicants include engineering consultant Arup Singapore, Hyundai Engineering and Construction, Surbana Jurong Consultants and KPMG Services. A few are overseas-based entities such as German engineering services company TUV SUD Energietechnik GmbH Baden-Wurttemberg.
Up to 10 applicants will be shortlisted for the tender stage. In response to ST queries, EMA said it aims to begin the year-long study in the coming months, and more details of the tender will be revealed to those shortlisted.
The Chernobyl meltdown and Fukushima disaster involved conventional nuclear technologies built up to the 1990s. Such traditional reactors are not possible for Singapore because they require large buffer zones which are beyond the island state’s radius.
Advanced nuclear technologies are fourth-generation reactors that are mostly in the development stage, and are designed to be safer while producing less nuclear waste.
Among the technologies the consultant has to study are small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors that use novel cooling systems or fuels – such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and molten salt reactors.
SMRs have been thought to be suitable for Singapore. These compact systems can be factory-assembled and installed in dense urban areas as they have a smaller footprint. The power capacity of one SMR is about a third of that of a traditional reactor.
Other reactor systems such as gas-cooled or molten salt reactors are designed to have more built-in safety features, reducing the need for external intervention. If the liquid fuel in a molten salt reactor overheats, for example, the fuel naturally expands and makes the fission reaction less effective, shutting down the reactor.
On GeBiz, a document seen by ST stated that applicants must possess a track record of providing relevant advisory services and list their executed projects in the nuclear energy sector in the past decade from 2014. Their entries should include project duration and estimated costs.
Among other things, applicants should describe their working relationship with the developers of advanced nuclear energy systems, stated the document.
While Singapore has not made a decision to adopt nuclear energy, this energy form is among various low-carbon sources that the country is looking into amid considerations of the nation’s energy security, affordability and carbon footprint. Singapore now relies on natural gas, a fossil fuel, for some 95 per cent of its energy needs.
On Feb 10, the Republic published its 2035 climate target – to reduce its emissions to between 45 million tonnes and 50 million tonnes, down from the 60 million tonnes it expects to emit in 2030.
Nuclear reactions do not produce any planet-warming emissions to generate energy, unlike the burning of fossil fuels.
The call for consultants adds to the several ways in which Singapore’s exploration of nuclear energy has been hotting up over the past couple of years.
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.
Later in 2024, Singapore also entered into nuclear-related partnerships with the United Arab Emirates and Sweden.
Government teams have visited other countries as well, including Britain and Germany, to engage international organisations and partners on nuclear energy. These organisations include the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
EMA said the study it is seeking proposals on builds on the 123 Agreement and existing agreements with other countries.
“Such cooperations allow EMA to access more information on advanced nuclear energy technologies to strengthen our analysis. Through the study, we hope to tap the knowledge and expertise of the consultants to augment existing capabilities in Singapore,” the energy regulator said.
Dr Victor Nian, founding co-chairman of independent think-tank Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources, said the call for consultants is consistent with Singapore’s national approach to technology, which is to keep options open and track latest developments.
On the need for consultants, he noted that there is a need to understand the advanced tech better from a more independent angle, while being impartial towards nuclear project developers.
“At this stage, it is more important to understand what might work and what might not from a generic technology perspective,” said Dr Nian, adding that this is an important step for a country in making a knowledgeable decision on going nuclear, in line with the IAEA’s recommendations. - The Straits Times/ANN
