Singapore reshapes government teams, steps up hiring as it builds nuclear energy capabilities

Agencies are recruiting nuclear specialists, while research capacity is growing and new training programmes are being developed.

This photo taken on May 22, 2025 shows a general view of the nuclear reactor operation chamber at the Kartini Nuclear Reactor research facility of the National Research and Innovation Agency in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (Photo: AFP/Devi Rahman)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: Singapore is stepping up efforts to prepare for a review of its nuclear capabilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2027.

Government agencies are building expertise in areas ranging from reactor engineering to safety and regulation, although the country has not decided whether to build a nuclear power plant.

The upcoming IAEA review was announced in May and is known as the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Phase 1 Mission .

It will assess whether Singapore has developed the capabilities needed to make an informed decision on deploying nuclear energy.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less

NEW GOVERNMENT TEAMS

As part of preparations for the 2027 review, a new Nuclear Development Department was carved out of the Energy Market Authority's (EMA) existing Nuclear Energy Office in June.

The department will study the practical requirements of running nuclear power plant projects, including project management and financing.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) also set up a Nuclear Energy Division in April. It will shape nuclear energy policy and coordinate the government agencies involved.

EMA and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are also recruiting for more nuclear-related expertise.

Checks by CNA found at least 12 different nuclear-related job openings advertised over the past three months.

These include roles examining advanced reactor concepts and the security of nuclear materials and installations.

Mr Ian Grant, an independent expert on nuclear energy and regulation, said the hiring and new organisational structures were consistent with Singapore's current assessment of nuclear power, rather than an indication of a decision to proceed.

“There's no doubt that these additional personnel are being brought in to support the current work toward making an assessment of whether to proceed,” he told CNA.

Among the areas the IAEA will examine are Singapore's national position on nuclear energy and its legal and regulatory frameworks.

Mr Grant, who has advised the IAEA and governments including Singapore, the Philippines and Estonia on nuclear infrastructure, said Singapore could tap external consultants for some of the skills required.

“I know that Singapore has been hiring external experts, which is of course a wise choice because you'll benefit from experienced personnel. But it's also necessary to develop internal capability,” he said.

If the country eventually decides to proceed with nuclear power, local expertise could form the nucleus for further expansion, he added.

TRAINING NUCLEAR SPECIALISTS

Mr Low Xin Wei, CEO of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI), said interest from government agencies and industry in building nuclear-related expertise is growing.

SNRSI, which is based at the National University of Singapore (NUS), conducts research into nuclear technology and safety.

Mr Low said a recent paid SNRSI course on nuclear issues drew around 80 participants from government, industry and the region.

Government participants included officers from MTI, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, EMA and NEA. Some of the industry participants were senior executives.

Many of them had strong engineering backgrounds and were looking to deepen their understanding of nuclear-specific issues and considerations, he added.

SNRSI is also working with NUS to launch the country's first master's programme in nuclear engineering.

The one-year course is expected to begin in the 2027 academic year with a cohort of about 30 full-time and part-time students.

Mr Low said: "We have been in close consultation with government agencies and industry on what manpower and skills they need, and the sorts of programmes and the number of places they need. Many of our course offerings are highly bespoke in nature and cater directly to the specific needs of these agencies."

Over the past decade, SNRSI has recruited more than 30 PhD-level researchers through its scholarship and training pipelines. They cover fields including nuclear reactor science and engineering, radiation safety, nuclear materials and waste management.

Mr Low said the institute plans to grow its overall researcher pool from around 60 to more than 100 by 2030, while working with universities on a wider range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programmes in nuclear engineering and safety.

EXPERTISE WITH REGIONAL APPLICATIONS

Mr Low said some of the capabilities being developed would remain useful even if Singapore ultimately decides not to adopt nuclear power.

As Singapore's neighbours explore their own nuclear energy programmes, expertise in areas such as reactor safety, dispersion modelling, radiochemistry and radiobiology could help the country better understand the plants being developed in the region and their emergency preparedness, he said.

SNRSI is also expanding its international partnerships. Mr Low said it signed agreements with the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology at the IAEA General Conference in September.

He said these add to existing partnerships with organisations in France, the United States and China, and would allow SNRSI to draw on overseas expertise and access research reactors, facilities and simulators.

Even if Singapore eventually decides to proceed with nuclear power, Mr Grant said several more years of infrastructure development would be required before implementation of a nuclear power plant could begin.

This would include establishing the necessary laws and regulatory infrastructure, hiring more specialists and arranging financing.

Construction of a nuclear power plant would come only after that preparatory work, and would itself take additional time before electricity could be generated, he said.

“This is a long-term effort, and we're at the beginning phase.”

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

各机构正在招募核能专家，同时研究能力也在不断增强，新的培训计划也在不断制定。

这张照片拍摄于2025年5月22日，展示了位于印度尼西亚日惹的卡蒂尼核反应堆研究设施（隶属于国家研究与创新署）的核反应堆运行室全景。（图片：法新社/Devi Rahman）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：新加坡正在加紧准备，迎接国际原子能机构（IAEA）在 2027 年对其核能力进行的审查。

尽管该国尚未决定是否建造核电站，但政府机构正在反应堆工程、安全和监管等领域积累专业知识。

国际原子能机构于 5 月宣布即将进行的审查被称为综合核基础设施审查 (INIR) 第一阶段任务。

它将评估新加坡是否已具备在部署核能方面做出明智决策所需的能力。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小谜题，挑战你的大脑 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少

新政府团队

作为 2027 年审查准备工作的一部分，能源市场管理局 (EMA) 于 6 月从其现有的核能办公室中分离出一个新的核能发展部。

该部门将研究核电站项目运行的实际要求，包括项目管理和融资。

贸工部于4月成立了核能司，负责制定核能政策并协调相关政府机构的工作。

EMA 和国家环境局 (NEA) 也在招聘更多与核能相关的专业人才。

CNA 的调查发现，过去三个月里至少发布了 12 个不同的与核能相关的职位空缺。

这些职位包括研究先进反应堆概念以及核材料和设施的安全问题。

核能和监管方面的独立专家伊恩·格兰特先生表示，此次招聘和新的组织结构与新加坡目前对核电的评估是一致的，而不是表明新加坡决定推进核电项目。

“毫无疑问，这些额外的人员被调来支持当前的评估工作，以确定是否继续推进，”他告诉中央社。

国际原子能机构将审查的领域包括新加坡在核能方面的国家立场及其法律和监管框架。

曾就核基础设施问题向国际原子能机构以及包括新加坡、菲律宾和爱沙尼亚在内的各国政府提供咨询的格兰特先生表示，新加坡可以聘请外部顾问来获得所需的一些技能。

“我知道新加坡一直在聘请外部专家，这当然是一个明智的选择，因为可以受益于经验丰富的人员。但发展内部能力也同样必要，”他说。

他补充说，如果该国最终决定发展核能，本土专业知识可以成为进一步扩张的核心。

核能专家培训

新加坡核能研究与安全研究所 (SNRSI) 首席执行官刘欣伟先生表示，政府机构和行业对建立核能相关专业知识的兴趣正在增长。

新加坡国立大学核安全研究所 (SNRSI) 致力于核技术与安全研究。

Low先生表示，SNRSI最近举办的关于核问题的付费课程吸引了来自政府、行业和该地区的约80名参与者。

政府部门的与会人员包括贸工部、可持续发展与环境部、环境管理署和国家环境局的官员。部分行业代表是高级管理人员。

他还补充说，他们中的许多人都有很强的工程背景，并希望加深对核能相关问题和考量的理解。

SNRSI 还与新加坡国立大学合作，推出该国首个核工程硕士课程。

该一年制课程预计将于 2027 学年开始，首批招收约 30 名全日制和非全日制学生。

罗先生表示：“我们一直与政府机构和行业密切磋商，了解他们需要哪些人力和技能，以及他们需要哪些类型的课程和名额。我们的许多课程都是高度定制化的，直接满足这些机构的具体需求。”

过去十年间，SNRSI通过其奖学金和培训项目招募了30多名博士级研究人员。他们的研究领域涵盖核反应堆科学与工程、辐射安全、核材料和废物管理等。

罗先生表示，该研究所计划到 2030 年将其研究人员总数从约 60 人增加到 100 多人，同时与大学合作，开展更广泛的核工程和安全领域的本科、研究生和专业课程。

具备区域应用方面的专业知识

刘先生表示，即使新加坡最终决定不采用核能，一些正在开发的能力仍然会很有用。

他表示，随着新加坡的邻国探索各自的核能计划，反应堆安全、扩散模型、放射化学和放射生物学等领域的专业知识可以帮助新加坡更好地了解该地区正在开发的核电站及其应急准备情况。

泰国核科学研究院（SNRSI）也在拓展其国际合作伙伴关系。刘先生表示，该研究院在9月份的国际原子能机构大会上与韩国原子能研究院和泰国核技术研究院签署了合作协议。

他表示，这些合作将进一步加强与法国、美国和中国相关机构的现有合作关系，使SNRSI能够利用海外专业知识，并获得研究反应堆、设施和模拟器。

格兰特先生表示，即使新加坡最终决定发展核电，在核电站建设开始之前，还需要数年的基础设施建设。

这包括建立必要的法律和监管体系，聘请更多专家以及安排融资。

他说，核电站的建设只有在完成这些准备工作之后才能进行，而且本身也需要额外的时间才能发电。

“这是一项长期工作，我们目前还处于初期阶段。”

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。