New nuclear energy office in Singapore to build local talent, assess nuclear technologies
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Nuclear Energy Office director Darryl Chan said his team will be looking to develop expertise in nuclear technologies, safety assessments, policy, environmental and economical analysis.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
SINGAPORE – Building local talent in nuclear energy is one area that a newly set-up office at the Energy Market Authority (EMA) is focusing on, to better prepare Singapore for the deployment of nuclear energy if it decides to do so.
“We can’t rely on foreign partners forever,” said Mr Darryl Chan, director of the newly formed Nuclear Energy Office, in the first interview in his new role on Feb 6.
“We have to build domestic capabilities to do these important analyses ourselves,” he added during the interview at EMA’s headquarters in Pasir Panjang.
His team will be looking to develop expertise not just in nuclear technologies and safety assessments, but also in policy, environmental and economic analyses, said Mr Chan, who was formerly EMA’s director of energy technologies.
Singapore has not made a decision to tap nuclear energy, but is laying the groundwork to explore it as a viable energy option
If it decides to tap this energy source, Singapore needs to be able to reassure itself that the technologies it deploys are safe, added Mr Chan.
One example of a critical area where Singapore needs its own expertise for evaluations relates to the safety systems of different reactors, he said.
This is so that the nation can be “fully assured” that any reactors or technologies selected are safe here.
Another one of the new EMA office’s priorities is to assess nuclear technologies to determine which reactor types could be safe and suitable for Singapore’s dense, land-scarce environment, said Mr Chan.
“Nuclear safety is paramount,” he noted.
Advanced nuclear technologies include small modular reactors, which have a lower power capacity, enhanced safety standards and require much smaller buffer zones, compared with conventional reactors.
Singapore has signed agreements with various countries, such as the United States and France, to learn about nuclear technologies and scientific research.
It has also inked agreements with organisations, such as non-profit research group Battelle Memorial Institute and the Idaho National Laboratory, to better understand the feasibility of deploying nuclear energy here.
In addition, EMA has conducted site visits to countries such as the US, Switzerland, France and South Korea to study their technologies and capabilities.
“Different countries have different experiences in the context of technology and developing their own nuclear power programme... we want to learn from everybody,” said Mr Chan.
“Every country will have to adapt the regulations, the requirements, the standards, to (their) own needs… I don’t think we can rely on just one country to learn from, but rather a combination of different countries, so that we can pick the best and then adapt it to suit our needs,” he added.
The UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), outlines 19 nuclear infrastructure issues that countries considering or planning their first nuclear power plant have to take into account under a phased approach. Waste management and emergency planning are among these areas.
It will be pivotal for Singapore to understand everything else around the adoption of nuclear energy – and not just technology – in order to make an informed decision, said Mr Chan.
“Every different area requires us to look at it with different lenses,” he said. “Our job is to develop deep understanding in each capability area within this ‘manual’, and identify the receptacles which will be responsible for building them.”
This is where a panel of experts could come in to help interpret the issues, and provide expertise and advice to develop capabilities in these areas.
EMA had in September and October 2025 put up tenders for panels of consultants and advisers to conduct technical studies and provide advisory services.
These panels will help to look at advanced nuclear energy technologies, as well as the capability areas indicated by the IAEA milestone approach, which includes safety and regulatory frameworks and human resource development.
On efforts to build local talent, Mr Chan pointed to the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute at the National University of Singapore, which was launched in July 2025
His team of 26 at EMA was also formed in October 2025
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said in his Budget 2025 speech
As part of the governmental reorganisation, a dedicated nuclear team was established at the National Environment Agency, Singapore’s radiation and nuclear safety regulator, to deepen expertise in nuclear safety, security and safeguards.
