On the opening day of Singapore International Energy Week, the government chose to invest in people before answering a question it has not yet settled: whether nuclear power has a place in the island's energy future. Three new schemes, backed by the energy ministry and the Energy Market Authority, aim to grow a body of officials, workers and advisers who can weigh such technologies on their merits. The country has been careful to say that no decision has been made, and that the knowledge gained will serve it whatever it ultimately chooses. In the larger human story of how nations decide what t
Singapore Launches Three Schemes to Build Local Nuclear Energy Expertise Without Committing to Nuclear Power
On the opening day of Singapore International Energy Week, the government chose to invest in people before answering a question it has not yet settled: whether nuclear power has a place in the island's energy future. Three new schemes, backed by the energy ministry and the Energy Market Authority, aim to grow a body of officials, workers and advisers who can weigh such technologies on their merits. The country has been careful to say that no decision has been made, and that the knowledge gained will serve it whatever it ultimately chooses. In the larger human story of how nations decide what to power their lives with, this is the quiet work that comes before the loud choice.
On Monday, October 26, the first day of Singapore International Energy Week, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and the Energy Market Authority unveiled three schemes to grow local nuclear expertise. They came with a steady reminder: Singapore has not decided whether to adopt nuclear power at all.
The purpose is to build the ability to judge whether advanced nuclear technologies could suit Singapore's power needs, and to prepare for an international assessment of whether the country can make an informed decision. That review mission is planned for next year.
The first scheme links public agencies with leading global nuclear organisations, so officers can gain hands-on experience in technology assessment, licensing and regulation. The second opens training and industry attachments to workers at selected local firms, so they can compete for nuclear opportunities overseas, with funding support. The third brings distinguished international energy leaders to advise on long-term strategy, with the first nuclear-focused fellows appointed this year to help prepare for the review.
Minister Tan See Leng said that should Singapore choose nuclear, it would hold to the highest standards of safety, security and safeguards. He added that the expertise would prove useful even if the answer is no, as interest in nuclear grows across Southeast Asia. The next markers are the review, the partnership programme and the joint master's degree.
On Monday, October 26, the first day of Singapore International Energy Week, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and the Energy Market Authority announced three schemes meant to build what they called a strong pipeline of local expertise in nuclear energy. The announcement came with a caveat repeated throughout: Singapore has not decided whether to adopt nuclear power.
The schemes are aimed at building the capability to judge whether advanced nuclear technologies suit power generation in Singapore. They are also meant to prepare the country for an assessment by international experts of whether it can make an informed decision on deploying such technologies. That assessment is called the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review Mission. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has said it would help the government validate its progress and confirm that capability development is heading in the right direction. The mission is planned for next year.
The first scheme, the Singapore Nuclear Manpower Development Programme, links government agencies with leading global nuclear organisations through structured programmes. Public officers are to gain practical exposure in technology assessment, project development, licensing and regulatory frameworks. EMA will begin by signing partnership agreements with three organisations: AtkinsRealis of Canada, China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas, and X-energy of the United States. More organisations are expected to join, and the programme starts next year, rolling out progressively over the following years.
The second, the Nuclear Manpower Development Programme (Industry), is aimed at local companies, so they can take part in commercial opportunities overseas. Workers at selected Singapore-based firms will be invited into training programmes and industry attachments with international partners. Funding support will be provided, and the training is meant to give workers the competencies to help their companies advance their nuclear strategies and build capability.
The third, the Singapore Future Energy Fellowship, will bring in distinguished international energy leaders to advise on long-term energy strategy, including low-carbon options such as nuclear. Fellows will also help develop future energy leaders and share their views with government, industry, academia and the media. The first batch, with nuclear expertise, will be appointed this year to help with preparations for next year's review mission. Later batches may cover other low-carbon pathways, grid infrastructure and planning.
Speaking at the energy week, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said that if Singapore does choose nuclear power, the government is committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety, security and safeguards, in line with its international obligations. He said the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University are working toward a joint Master's programme in nuclear engineering, to be launched next year. He also argued the investment holds value either way: even if Singapore decides against nuclear energy, the expertise will remain useful as interest grows across Southeast Asia and beyond.
The EMA and the International Atomic Energy Agency also announced the inaugural IAEA@SIEW Forum, to be held Tuesday. Policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, financiers and experts will examine how ASEAN and the wider region might harness nuclear energy safely and responsibly. Two panels will cover policy frameworks, financing structures and international partnerships, and the infrastructure, supply chain, workforce and institutional capabilities such programmes would require.
EMA chief executive Puah Kok Keong said that while no decision has been made, there is value in learning from international experience. IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said nuclear energy can help Asia meet growing demand for reliable power, and that the agency supports a country's journey from beginning to end. The next marker is the review mission next year, alongside the start of the partnership programme and the new joint master's degree.
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