SINGAPORE: New nuclear energy technologies have the potential to make future nuclear power plants 'much safer' than the ones currently in operation, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan in Parliament on Monday .
"Some of the SMRs are also designed to cool safely and passively without requiring external systems or operator actions, especially during emergencies." "Hence, nuclear fusion power plants can at least theoretically produce clean electricity to meet our energy needs."Mr Tan was expanding on a report released by the Energy 2050 Committee last month which set out several possible pathways for Singapore's power sector to achieve net-zero by around 2050, the transformational changes needed to achieve this, and the challenges arising from geopolitical trends and technological advancements.
The Nanyang Technological University is currently conducting exploratory studies to estimate the geothermal resource potential in various parts of Singapore. "So we will need to consider any decision to deploy new energy technologies against its safety, reliability, affordability and environmental sustainability in Singapore’s context," he said.
Mr Tan highlighted that through the Nuclear Safety Research and Education Programme, the Government is supporting research in relevant areas of nuclear policy, science and engineering. It is also backing efforts to train a pool of scientists and experts in local and overseas universities.