Starting in 2027, Singapore will undertake an assessment by international experts to determine the country’s ability to make an informed decision on the potential deployment of advanced nuclear energy technologies in the future, its government agencies said Tuesday.

The assessment is known as the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Phase 1 Mission, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said in a joint statement with the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore.

According to the statement, as part of efforts to assess the suitability of advanced nuclear energy technologies for power generation, Singapore has been progressively building capabilities in nuclear science, safety and technology in line with international best practices.

The INIR Phase 1 Mission will support the government in validating our progress and ensuring our capability development is advancing in the right direction, based on an internationally recognized assessment framework known as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Milestones Approach.

The IAEA Milestones Approach comprehensively assesses 19 areas, such as capabilities to manage nuclear safety, radioactive waste, and emergency planning.

The approach reflects international best practices on nuclear energy deployment based on decades of international experience.

The assessment via the INIR Phase 1 Mission will be a key milestone of Singapore’s nuclear capability building journey.

The mission will also enable the IAEA to better understand Singapore’s current stage of development and provide more tailored support for capability building efforts in the future.

The statement noted that Singapore has not made a decision on the adoption or deployment of nuclear energy.

It said the country will continue to monitor global developments and work with international partners to build capabilities in nuclear safety and regulation, as part of efforts to study all potential pathways for decarbonization.

Any decision to deploy nuclear energy will be carefully considered against its safety, reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability in Singapore’s context.

The country’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during his speech at the Energy Market Authority’s 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner that nuclear energy is one of the country’s energy strategies amid energy disruption during Middle East conflict.

“Globally, there is renewed interest in nuclear energy. Because electricity demand is rising sharply around the world – as countries electrify transport and industry, and as artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers consume ever larger amounts of energy,

“Every country is grappling with the same question: how to secure enough reliable baseload power, while still reducing carbon emissions,” he said.

For him, nuclear energy is well positioned to meet this demand, as it is highly reliable, low-carbon, independent of weather conditions, and extremely energy dense.

He also foresees nuclear energy’s share of global electricity generation to rise again over time.

“In our own region, many of our ASEAN neighbors – including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand – are studying nuclear energy. Vietnam is among the most advanced, and plans to deploy nuclear energy in the 2030s. Not very far from now,” he said.

He also said the IAEA review will help determine whether Singapore has the expertise, institutions and frameworks to make an informed decision on nuclear energy.

He said the country will be focusing on newer reactor technologies, including Small Modular Reactors, as well as other advanced designs with enhanced safety features.

According to him, these technologies are promising but many are still at an early stage of deployment.

Thus, he opined that it will take time for them to mature, for operational experience to accumulate, and for international safety standards and regulatory frameworks to develop further.

“Energy security is a key priority for the government. It is a key priority on our agenda,” he concluded.

Malaysia and Singapore to conduct full feasibility study for second power interconnection