Nuclear energy may not be entirely off the table as Singapore plots its course toward net-zero emissions in the power sector by 2050.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) commissioned a paper on Tuesday (Mar 22) that underlined the potential for next-generation technologies like as nuclear energy and geothermal energy to play a role in Singapore's future energy supply mix.
The Energy 2050 Committee's report focused on a scenario-based approach for Singapore to steer the energy sector in 2050, based on the rate at which low-carbon energy technologies such as hydrogen, new geothermal, and nuclear technologies advance and are deployed globally, which the report referred to as "critical uncertainties."
In one of the committee's three scenarios, low-carbon hydrogen dominates Singapore's supply mix in 2050, displacing natural gas as the primary source of energy. Singapore is also well-positioned to begin deploying other low-carbon alternatives, such as nuclear energy, to diversify its supply mix in this scenario, and is well-positioned to scale them up further as they become commercially viable.
"With a growing number of nations embracing nuclear energy to decarbonize their economies, Singapore is now prepared to analyze nuclear energy's potential for domestic deployment," the paper forecasts.
The electricity industry in the city-state accounts for over 40% of total carbon emissions, and hence plays a critical part in the country's climate change initiatives.
Singapore's green energy transition path, coordinated by the EMA, has identified "four switches" - natural gas, solar energy, regional power grids and electricity imports, and low-carbon alternatives. Nuclear energy may emerge as a viable long-term option in the absence of other low-carbon options.
"Newer nuclear power plant designs that are being researched and tested have the potential to be far safer than many existing facilities. They are now being developed by major countries including China, France, the United States of America, and Russia.
"If these safer technologies prove successful, they might give Singapore with a scalable and carbon-free baseload energy supply. Additionally, nuclear fuel can be efficiently stored, enhancing Singapore's energy security," the paper stated.
However, the report noted that further research is necessary before it can be determined whether newer nuclear technologies are viable for Singapore.
To achieve its objective of net-zero emissions by the middle of the century, the research proposed that the city-state "pre-position" for future low-carbon supply options.
"Given Singapore's limited options for decarbonizing its electricity sector, it should closely monitor developments in new supply technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), geothermal, biomethane, nuclear fission small modular reactors (SMRs), and nuclear fusion technologies," the report stated.
The Energy 2050 Group report was compiled by a committee charged with researching long-term energy sector developments in Singapore. Additionally, it provides recommendations on how the EMA, the industry regulator, should plan for the country's future energy system and how the city-state might capitalize on transition-related economic prospects.
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