Good luck to all of us. We will be glowing in the dark soon what with the safety track record of GLCs
SINGAPORE: There are no current plans to build nuclear power plants in Singapore, but the country intends to develop its own pool of local nuclear experts in the next five years, the National Research Foundation (NRF) said.
One of the roles of the nuclear experts is to protect Singaporeans from radiation, NRF said, adding that its scientists are undergoing training to manage nuclear safety in the country.
For example, if there is a nuclear incident in the region, the experts will be able to tell if or when radiation will hit Singapore by studying the wind directions, wind speeds, and calculating the amount of radiation in the air. This would help authorities roll out precautionary measures.
Another key area of focus for NRF is nuclear forensics, where experts detect and trace radioactive materials that could be used to make bombs, it said. The Foundation added that experts would also be able to look out for radiation contamination in the nation's waters and in food imports.
DIFFICULTIES ATTRACTING EXPERTS TO "NICHE" AREA
Despite the crucial nature of the work of nuclear experts, NRF Director of the Energy and Environment Research Directorate Dr Yeoh Lean Weng said there were difficulties in attracting talent to the very "niche" area.
"Students may think that the career path is still very limited," he said.
The Foundation started a programme two years ago to train 100 nuclear experts in the next decade, or 10 experts a year. However, it has fallen short of this target so far, with only nine experts selected in the last two years.
"The fact is that we only have one research institute to build capabilities. There's no nuclear power plant, there's no nuclear industry," said Dr Yeoh.
To attract more talent, the NRF plans to broaden career paths for nuclear scientists and boost scholarships, it said.
REGIONAL PUSH TOWARDS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
Associate Chair of Research at Nanyang Technological University's School of Materials Science and Engineering Professor Timothy White said ASEAN will be gradually increasing its involvement in nuclear technology - countries like Indonesia and Vietnam have said they are planning to build nuclear power plants.
"We are in a neighbourhood where this is going to happen so we need to understand what nuclear (technology) is all about, if we are going to develop the correct responses and appreciation of what is happening with our neighbours."
Prof White said it was not likely for Singapore to follow in its neighbours' footsteps in developing nuclear power facilities in the near future.
"The nuclear plant requires such a high level of capability to run. We are such a small country," he explained.
However, experts told Channel NewsAsia it was possible that ASEAN nations would come together to pool resources, in order to build a power plant in the region. This would mean the expertise, costs and benefits of a nuclear power plant could be shared among member countries.
The plant could be situated in a country with large land areas located away from residential zones, with the power generated supplied to member nations through an electrical grid.
Dr Yeoh said the biggest challenge to this was in member countries having the political will to carry out the project.
In addition, countries like Singapore will be concerned about security and supply, he said.
"We are concerned about security and supply from pipe gas, so we will have the same issues in getting nuclear energy from another country because it's beyond our sovereign borders."
SINGAPORE: There are no current plans to build nuclear power plants in Singapore, but the country intends to develop its own pool of local nuclear experts in the next five years, the National Research Foundation (NRF) said.
One of the roles of the nuclear experts is to protect Singaporeans from radiation, NRF said, adding that its scientists are undergoing training to manage nuclear safety in the country.
For example, if there is a nuclear incident in the region, the experts will be able to tell if or when radiation will hit Singapore by studying the wind directions, wind speeds, and calculating the amount of radiation in the air. This would help authorities roll out precautionary measures.
Another key area of focus for NRF is nuclear forensics, where experts detect and trace radioactive materials that could be used to make bombs, it said. The Foundation added that experts would also be able to look out for radiation contamination in the nation's waters and in food imports.
DIFFICULTIES ATTRACTING EXPERTS TO "NICHE" AREA
Despite the crucial nature of the work of nuclear experts, NRF Director of the Energy and Environment Research Directorate Dr Yeoh Lean Weng said there were difficulties in attracting talent to the very "niche" area.
"Students may think that the career path is still very limited," he said.
The Foundation started a programme two years ago to train 100 nuclear experts in the next decade, or 10 experts a year. However, it has fallen short of this target so far, with only nine experts selected in the last two years.
"The fact is that we only have one research institute to build capabilities. There's no nuclear power plant, there's no nuclear industry," said Dr Yeoh.
To attract more talent, the NRF plans to broaden career paths for nuclear scientists and boost scholarships, it said.
REGIONAL PUSH TOWARDS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
Associate Chair of Research at Nanyang Technological University's School of Materials Science and Engineering Professor Timothy White said ASEAN will be gradually increasing its involvement in nuclear technology - countries like Indonesia and Vietnam have said they are planning to build nuclear power plants.
"We are in a neighbourhood where this is going to happen so we need to understand what nuclear (technology) is all about, if we are going to develop the correct responses and appreciation of what is happening with our neighbours."
Prof White said it was not likely for Singapore to follow in its neighbours' footsteps in developing nuclear power facilities in the near future.
"The nuclear plant requires such a high level of capability to run. We are such a small country," he explained.
However, experts told Channel NewsAsia it was possible that ASEAN nations would come together to pool resources, in order to build a power plant in the region. This would mean the expertise, costs and benefits of a nuclear power plant could be shared among member countries.
The plant could be situated in a country with large land areas located away from residential zones, with the power generated supplied to member nations through an electrical grid.
Dr Yeoh said the biggest challenge to this was in member countries having the political will to carry out the project.
In addition, countries like Singapore will be concerned about security and supply, he said.
"We are concerned about security and supply from pipe gas, so we will have the same issues in getting nuclear energy from another country because it's beyond our sovereign borders."
