SINGAPORE – In March 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine accelerated a global energy crisis, Singapore subtly signalled its changed stance on nuclear energy.
A report commissioned by the Energy Market Authority on the Republic’s energy future had put nuclear power back on the table, projecting it could meet up to 10 per cent of the country’s electricity needs by 2050.
In a geopolitically fragmented world where the land-constrained Republic has limited options to cut emissions, the report highlighted the promise of advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) in helping to power the country.
SMRs are compact nuclear reactors that can be factory-assembled and installed closer to urban areas due to their smaller footprint.
This came a decade after Singapore in 2012 ruled out the use of conventional nuclear plants, due to their risks for the small and dense city-state. But Singapore had at that time kept the door open for future nuclear energy technologies.
Four years after the report was published, the Republic is thoroughly examining a nuclear future for itself – not just to meet its climate commitments, but also to safeguard its energy security.
Singapore now relies on burning natural gas, the cleanest of planet-warming fossil fuels, for about 95% of its energy needs.
But South-east Asia is grappling with the worst energy crisis since the 1970s, this time due to a war waged by Israel and the US on Iran.
Iran responded to the attacks by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which supplies of oil and gas are shipped from the Middle East to the rest of the world.
About 20% of the South-east Asian region’s liquefied natural gas imports in 2025 transited through this maritime choke point, with Singapore accounting for over half of these volumes, according to an International Energy Agency report published in October.
Energy analysts, observers and researchers told The Straits Times that geopolitical instability, the global agenda to decarbonise, and advancements in nuclear technology have helped revive the region’s ambitions to tap the energy source.
ASEAN countries including Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines are taking steps to incorporate nuclear energy into their fuel mix.
Nuclear security researcher Julius Cesar Imperial Trajano attributed the growing interest of ASEAN countries in nuclear energy to the converging pressures of safeguarding energy security, rising electricity demand from energy-intensive industries and data centres, and shifting away from planet-warming fossil fuels.
“Nuclear is increasingly being considered not simply as a climate solution but also as a potential source of reliable, low-carbon electricity that can complement renewables,” said the research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
While the Singapore Government has not made a decision on nuclear energy, it has beefed up its capacity to study the energy source, while announcing its plan to undergo a readiness assessment by the UN atomic watchdog in 2027.
It has also signed at least seven pacts with countries and firms within the nuclear energy ecosystem over the past two years.
A secure energy future
Experts point to the variety of uranium fuel sources and the ability of countries to stockpile it as being among the ways that nuclear reactors can contribute to energy security.
In April, Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Tan See Leng told Parliament that five one-inch-tall uranium pellets can generate the same amount of electricity as one Olympic-sized swimming pool of natural gas.
A spokesman for the World Nuclear Association (WNA), an international organisation representing the civil nuclear industry, told ST: “Uranium is sourced from a range of geopolitically diverse countries, and nuclear fuel is extremely energy dense, so many years worth of fuel can be stored on site – insulating countries from the supply and price shocks seen in oil and gas markets.”
Today’s supply shocks are having an effect similar to that of the oil crises of the 1970s, which had prompted countries such as France, Sweden and Japan to embark on major nuclear build programmes, he added.
He said: “Moving away from imported fossil fuels will strengthen energy security across the region.”
David Broadstock of the Asia-Pacific energy industry consultancy Lantau Group said the war in the Middle East is but the latest in a string of energy crises that Singapore has endured since around 2020.
Reducing the impact of such events on energy bills will require a changed energy mix, he added.
“Nuclear becomes an attractive solution here in many ways, since it can produce large volumes of electricity with stable cost profiles,” Broadstock added.
The cost of imported natural gas and power generation makes up more than 75% of the regulated electricity tariff. This means that fluctuations in fuel costs due to geopolitical developments can impact the price consumers pay.
Meanwhile, stockpiled nuclear fuel will be able to produce electricity at a predictable cost.
Across ASEAN, member states have already moved to translate nuclear plans into policy.
Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand now have numerical estimates for nuclear capacity in their national plans, according to the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook report published in October.
These range from a capacity of 600 megawatts for Thailand by 2050, to Indonesia’s goal of relying on nuclear energy for 12.1 per cent of its electricity mix by 2060.
Malaysia also formalised the integration of nuclear energy into its future energy mix in 2025, although no target figure was cited.
Ming Tan, global practice lead for nuclear energy at engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald, said a regional approach to nuclear power could benefit countries, allowing them to share knowledge, adopt common safety and technical principles, as well as reduce unnecessary duplication of effort.
“This can make it easier for countries to build capability, develop regulatory frameworks and learn from each other’s experiences while fully retaining national decision-making authority.”
A long-term domestic source of energy generation is especially pertinent for ASEAN nations, he said, as the region relies heavily on imported fuels shipped through some of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
The British-based firm was appointed by the Singapore Government in 2025 to study the safety and feasibility of advanced nuclear technologies like SMRs.
The promise of the small modular reactor
The global pivot towards nuclear power is in part powered by the rise of advanced reactors, which promise enhanced safety features and less radioactive waste, according to analysts.
According to the Nuclear Energy Agency, an intergovernmental agency that facilitates cooperation among countries with advanced nuclear technology, the number of SMR designs around the world has grown from 98 in 2024 to 156 in its latest assessment published in September.
Over the past five years, discussions about SMRs have moved beyond purely conceptual designs, said RSIS’ Trajano.
He cited developments such as greater regulatory engagement, progress towards licensing in some jurisdictions, and more attention to factory fabrication.
In September, for instance, the US’ Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for its first SMR after a 14-month review.
Analysts and observers said SMRs could require significantly smaller safety restriction zones than conventional nuclear reactors. This gives it an advantage over conventional reactors, especially for Singapore, other small island states and densely populated areas.
Conventional reactors typically require safety zones to be established within a 15km to 30km radius from the nuclear plant. In 2008, Singapore revealed it had considered reclaiming land at Pedra Branca to satisfy this buffer. However, the plan was dropped, as the island is less than 30km away from neighbouring Malaysia.
A spokesman for the NUS Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI) said smaller reactor fuel inventories and enhanced safety features in SMRs could reduce the potential consequences of severe accidents and, subject to safety assessments and regulatory requirements, could allow for smaller emergency planning zones.
He added: “Newer reactor designs increasingly incorporate natural circulation, gravity and other passive safety systems to maintain cooling, reducing reliance on external power and operator intervention.”
The nuclear incident in Fukushima in 2011 occurred because a power loss had cut off cooling to reactors there, causing them to overheat and melt down.
The SNRSI spokesman cited the tri-structural isotropic fuel used in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, a kind of SMR. Such fuels can improve the containment of radioactive materials by coating uranium kernels in layers of ceramic and carbon, reducing the risk of a meltdown.
The WNA spokesman said that the modular format of SMRs is also an advantage, as they are easier to manufacture repeatedly in factories, instead of needing to build each one from scratch.
He said: “Many of the SMR designs proposed for near-term deployment are not technological leaps; rather, they offer a potential step change in how nuclear is delivered, through factory-based, repeatable manufacturing and deployment.”
The geopolitics of SMR development
Despite the promise of SMRs, most designs remain at an early stage of commercial deployment, said Nick Ash, energy advisory leader at engineering consultancy Arup, which is advising the UK’s SMR programme.
According to the Nuclear Energy Agency’s latest assessment, only Russia and China operate commercial SMRs.
Uncertainty remains over whether their projected cost and delivery advantages will be demonstrated once financing, supporting infrastructure, fuel supply and waste management are taken into account, Ash added.
China analyst Damien Ma noted that while the US still leads on SMR innovation, China was the first to deploy a commercial land-based SMR, while Russia deployed the first floating SMR.
SMRs are touted to be cheaper than conventional nuclear reactors, but the industry has not yet developed to a point where the unit costs can be brought down.
Ma, the director of East Asia-based research centre Carnegie China, said this will still require organising manufacturing in a way that can actually achieve consistent modularity, which can then be scaled.
While Western countries had a head start in developing nuclear facilities, many of them, such as the United States and France, built few or no new reactors in the following years, losing skills, expertise and supply chain capacity.
As a result, the nuclear industrial ecosystems of many Western countries withered after decades of inaction, said David Fishman, a principal at Lantau Group who tracks the Chinese power sector.
“Most of the things that have historically driven nuclear cost overruns in the West – like regulatory complexity, licensing risk, supply chain challenges, project management failures, and financing – are still going to be problems with a smaller reactor,” Fishman noted.
Meanwhile, China has ramped up its nuclear energy capabilities, by continuously building reactors, while its designs have become increasingly standardised and cheaper, Fishman said.
China has also proven to be the only country that has built an SMR and delivered nuclear projects on time and within budget this century, he added.
He said: “Countries don’t just buy a reactor... You buy decades of fuel services, technical support and regulatory engagement.
“So the real question is which countries emerge as the potential nuclear suppliers to South-east Asia and what that means for their long-term political relationships.”
The road ahead for ASEAN
Technology aside, South-east Asia’s decision to deploy SMR technology will also hinge on long-term support, mutually agreed-upon cross-border rules, financing, waste management plans and a skilled workforce.
Nuclear energy remains the most expensive energy source to be considered in the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook report, which notes that nuclear projects are expected to cost the region an estimated US$236 billion (S$300 billion) by 2060.
Financing nuclear projects is notoriously hard due to their scale, capital intensity, long construction timelines and technical complexity. Investors are often scared off by the risks of cost overruns and delays.
“The constraint on nuclear power in ASEAN is therefore not siting potential or stated ambition, but delivery capability,” the report found.
Public acceptance will also be key to determining the successful deployment of nuclear energy.
Countries in South-east Asia have explored the use of civilian nuclear energy since the late 1950s, but backing has waxed and waned, influenced by factors such as fluctuating government support and global nuclear events affecting public opinion.
This will be key, as the lack of acceptance has historically jeopardised the roll-out of nuclear energy. In the 1980s, for instance, public opposition and safety concerns derailed the Philippines Bataan Nuclear Plant, which never went online despite its completion.
Even if Singapore’s efforts do not translate to the deployment of nuclear energy, its work could help the Republic stay relevant amid the global nuclear renaissance.
The SNRSI spokesman said its research and nuclear laboratories will remain important as interest in nuclear power across the region continues to grow.
With 70 researchers in its stable, the institute also ensures that Singapore has its own experts to understand these developments and what they mean for the country.
Added Mott MacDonald’s Tan: “If it continues on its current path, Singapore has the potential to become one of the region’s leading centres of excellence for advanced nuclear technologies.”