Small modular nuclear reactors: Singapore’s answer to energy security?

SPEAKER_1 (0:02)

This is a podcast by The Straits Times.

Audrey Tan (0:05)

Hi, I'm Audrey Tan, an Assistant News Editor at The Straits Times. This is Green Pulse, your show, not just about the environment, but how it intersects with society, business and politics.

Today, we have in the studio with us, Mr Low Xin Wei. He is the Chief Executive of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute, also known as SNRSI.

He was appointed in March as the Research Organization's first CEO. And because I have him in the studio, you know what we're going to talk about today. A topic that has really got people talking, a lot of discussion on it recently, and that of course is nuclear. And so, Xin Wei is in a really good position to be able to talk about this topic. Before he took on this role at SNRSI, he was the Assistant CEO at Singapore's Energy Regulator, the Energy Market Authority. So, welcome, Xin Wei, on to the show.

Low Xin Wei (0:54)

Thank you, Audrey.

Audrey Tan (0:56)

So, I think you are really in a hot seat now, and I really hope that we can have a broader discussion on nuclear energy, why Singapore is looking into it, and why now, why at this time? So, maybe you can like set some context for us about how Singapore's stance on nuclear energy has changed, because, you know, a decade ago, this was not the conversation that we were having on nuclear energy, right?

Low Xin Wei (1:19)

Yes, yes. So, I guess you're referring to the feasibility study back in 2012

Where Singapore made the decision not to proceed, you know, with nuclear power.

But I think there was a, we left the door open, essentially, then, that it was basically based on the technologies at that time. So, I think back then, 2012, prevalent across the world were what we call conventional nuclear power plants. These are power plants about a gigawatt and above in size. And in the nuclear world, there's this concept called the emergency planning zone, which is essentially the area around the nuclear plant for which you got to make emergency preparations, preparation to evacuate them, you know, or to be able to contain the effects of any possible fallout. And, I mean, based on regulations around the world, the EPZs, this is emergency planning zones, for most conventional power plants was around 16 miles, 10 miles, or around 16 kilometers. Generally, we say around 20 kilometers. And you know, Singapore, you plunk it anywhere, half of Singapore is covered by that. And we didn't think it was possible for a density state like Singapore to prepare to evacuate, you know, everyone from the west of Bukit Timah to the east of Bukit Timah. So, I mean, quite sensibly at that time, you know, it was no-go based on the technologies of the time. But it was, the door was left open, that in future, you know, if technologies do do advance, prepared to open, reopen that conversation again. And actually it was also around the time, you know, 2014, where my institute was, was actually set up, the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute. I think at that time, there was, I think, awareness that, one, we need to have, I think, more local expertise that understood how technology was evolving, so that we'll be quicker to react, as opposed to relying entirely on foreign consultants. The second reason was that, with Fukushima, you know, just at the background, 2012, 2011, Fukushima, so, we wanted to be doubly sure about the risk, and the risk inherent, you know, to human health, to the environment from nuclear power.

Thirdly, even though, you know, Singapore may have stayed off that decision, or delayed that decision, our neighbours may not necessarily take the same stance. Later, we knew that many of the countries in the region were to stop their program, or pause their program, but at that time, you know, there was interest around the region, and we also wanted to know, you know, how other countries, you know, were going to develop their power plants, and also understanding the underlying technology and risk behind it. So, Snrsi was set up in the aftermath of that, to keep, you know, more than just a watching brief on it, but also to build up, I think, deep local expertise in the safety aspects of nuclear power.

Audrey Tan (4:21)

So, basically, you mentioned the three points. I mean, the first is, of course, technologies, and on that point, you know, when you say nuclear, people jump to a few incidents in mind. Of course, as you mentioned, Fukushima in 2011, and then there was Chernobyl. And then, what was the...