TODAY: S’pore to proceed with pre-feasibility nuclear study
Minister S Iswaran has revealed that despite the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the government has decided to continuing researching the feasibility of nuclear energy in Singapore. The TODAY story, below.
S’pore to proceed with pre-feasibility nuclear study
SINGAPORE – Singapore will go ahead with its pre-feasibility study on nuclear energy, even as the tsunami in Japan knocking out the Fukushima power plant shows the shortcomings of such technology.
But even with the completion of the study, Singapore will still be a long way from making any decisions on nuclear energy for Singapore, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran told Parliament yesterday, responding to members of parliament who wanted to know if the Government would still proceed with a pre-feasibility study for nuclear power in Singapore.
Water pumps at the Fukushima power plant had failed when a tsunami last month knocked out its emergency generators, causing its nuclear reactors to overheat.
The Fukushima crisis made it all the more important Singapore conduct such a study, said Mr Iswaran, especially when Singapore’s neighbours – Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand – have announced plans for nuclear energy.
Even if Singapore did not proceed with nuclear energy, the Republic must understand how nuclear technology works and its safety risks, so that Singapore could work with its neighbours to ensure the safe deployment of nuclear energy, he said.
Meanwhile, the Government is also exploring alternative energy options such as electricity imports, renewable energy and clean coal, and investing in research to improve energy efficiency and develop new energy technologies, said Mr Iswaran.
The completion of a liquefied natural gas terminal will also expand Singapore’s geographical sources of energy beyond 2013.
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