Singapore's energy ministry and Energy Market Authority launched three programmes to build local nuclear expertise, preparing for an international infrastructure review in 2027.
Singapore launched three schemes on October 26 to build a local pipeline of nuclear energy expertise, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and the Energy Market Authority announced.
The schemes are designed to help Singapore assess whether advanced nuclear technologies suit its power generation needs and to prepare for the International Atomic Energy Agency's Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review mission in 2027. Singapore has not decided whether to deploy nuclear power.
The first scheme, the Nuclear Manpower Development Programme for the public sector, will give public officers on-the-job exposure at global nuclear organisations, including Canada-based AtkinsRealis and United States-based X-energy, covering technology assessment, project development, licensing and regulation. It commences in 2027 and rolls out progressively. A second, industry version will fund personnel at selected local companies for training and attachments with international partners, while the Singapore Future Energy Fellowship will bring international energy leaders in to advise on long-term strategy, including nuclear energy.
The ministry's announcement and trade-press reporting agree on the structure and purpose of the three schemes, and on the 2027 review as the near-term milestone. What remains undecided is the larger question: officials have said a decision on deploying nuclear power, and on geothermal energy also under study, could take many years, with the near-term construction programme centred on gas plants, grid expansion, solar, storage and regional electricity trade.
The stakes are about readiness rather than a reactor. By building a workforce before any deployment decision, Singapore is buying the ability to judge a future nuclear option on its own evidence, and the 2027 review will test whether that capability measures up. The next marker is the review mission itself, followed by any government statement on whether nuclear power moves from study to plan.