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Singapore could be ‘most perfect example' of a country that needs nuclear energy: IAEA chief
SINGAPORE: Singapore could be the 'most perfect example' of a country that needs nuclear energy given its territorial limitations, energy requirements, technological base and institutional maturity, said the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi on Friday (Jul 25). The chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog was in Singapore as part of the SR Nathan Fellowship, a high-level programme for foreign leaders and prominent individuals to visit the country. The country on Friday also renewed its agreement with the IAEA to help train experts from developing countries in nuclear research. Speaking during a lecture and question-and-answer session hosted by the newly launched Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute at the National University of Singapore, Mr Grossi said that Singapore is prepared to host nuclear power 'relatively soon'. The Singapore government is looking at alternatives to gas, and nuclear energy stands out as one, he added, noting that Singapore has limitations when it comes to producing renewable energy. The country cannot produce hydropower and lacks the territory to produce enough wind or solar energy to meet its energy needs, he said. 'In my opinion, and in the opinion of many experts, in terms of the options, perhaps Singapore could rightly figure as the most perfect example of a country that needs nuclear energy, because with a very small nuclear power plant, you can have a level of energy density and production that you cannot match with anything else,' he said. Mr Grossi's impression is that Singapore will see its first nuclear power plant 'within a few years'. This may be a cooperative effort with the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said. All the ASEAN countries are also looking into nuclear energy, though they are all looking into it in different ways since they have different systems and economies, he noted. 'All of them are saying, we want nuclear energy. How can we get it?' he said. 'And of course, Singapore with its technological base, with its institutional maturity, is ideally, I would say, prepared to host nuclear power relatively soon.' Mr Grossi highlighted one scenario where Singapore could collaborate with a neighbouring country on a nuclear power project. 'We have traditional, big nuclear power plants. Is this a good fit for Singapore? Perhaps Singapore in combination or in cooperation with another country in ASEAN, it's not impossible,' said Mr Grossi. Raising the example of the Krsko power plant in Slovenia that supplies energy to both Slovenia and Croatia, Mr Grossi noted that citizens from both countries work at the plant. 'It's a beautiful example of confidence building, good neighbourhood and intelligence applied to energy,' he said. Singapore and a few other neighbouring nations have made it clear that no decision has been made on whether to adopt nuclear energy, but the idea is being studied alongside other possible sustainable energy options. There are no nuclear-powered nations in ASEAN yet. GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY TRENDS A new trend in nuclear energy is small modular reactors. While most are not in operation yet, these reactors are being licensed in many countries, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Argentina, said the IAEA's chief. 'They seem to be a very interesting option here,' he noted, adding that Africa also has 'enormous interest' in such reactors, since its grids are smaller or weaker and do not need big nuclear power plants. Climate scientists and experts have recognised that, in terms of climate change, decarbonisation without nuclear energy is 'practically utopian'. Subtracting the nuclear energy factor for big industrial economies that are heavily reliant on coal or fossil fuels will create a situation that is 'almost impossible to manage' if the world wants to achieve the emissions levels agreed upon in the Paris agreement, said Mr Grossi. He urged the audience to recognise nuclear energy's contribution to gradual decarbonisation, which the world is embarking on. 'Because we all know that this is a process that will take time. A quick phase-out of fossil fuel is impossible, as we know,' he added. Responding to a question about the cost of nuclear energy, Mr Grossi noted that nuclear energy is very capital-intensive at the beginning. This is why analysts say it is too expensive compared to solar or wind energy generators, he added. 'But when it comes to energy, cost is one factor. It is not the defining factor overall,' said Mr Grossi. For example, a country like Singapore has less space for solar energy farms, and big economies like the US will not be able to sustain themselves on only renewable energy, he noted. There are also political factors when it comes to cost, said the IAEA's chief, highlighting that it is important to subsidise clean energy. 'But nuclear energy has never benefited from any subsidy. So you need levelised cost of energy before you start making calculations,' he said. SAFETY CONCERNS AND GEOPOLITICS Mr Grossi also addressed the safety concerns that came with nuclear technology and nuclear energy. Responding to a question about Russia targeting nuclear power plants in Ukraine and whether the IAEA is concerned about similar scenarios in the future, Mr Grossi said: 'Of course, the fact that a nuclear power plant is caught in the middle of a war or a conflict is something that greatly concerns us.' This is why the UN Security Council established principles about how nuclear power plants should not be attacked or become military bases, indicating clearly that both sides should exercise 'maximum restraint', he added. 'Whether this is a trend or not, I suppose not. I think the problem here is the war, it's not the technology,' said Mr Grossi. Inviting the audience to think about this 'in military terms', he stressed that a power plant – a big piece of infrastructure – has an impact on the economy of the countries involved. 'It's like in law, you establish jurisprudence, precedent … Thanks to the example we have in the Zaporizhzhia crisis, if in the future we have a similar situation, we will have the authority and the capacity to intervene, because we did it once and because it worked,' he said. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, which is Europe's largest nuclear power plant, was captured by Russian forces in March 2022. Mr Grossi also addressed a question from Israel's Ambassador to Singapore Eli Vered Hazan about how a nuclear Iran can be prevented. This boils down to the inspection regime that should be put in place for parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), said the IAEA's chief. Iran is a party to the treaty, though it has threatened to pull out before. Noting that Israel is not a party to the treaty, Mr Grossi said that all the countries that signed the agreement subject their facilities to a 'very stringent regime of inspections'. In Iran's case, the IAEA has been doing this with 'some successes and some failures', Mr Grossi said, adding that there were areas that were 'not entirely clear' for 'quite some time'. Reiterating what he said in June, Mr Grossi stressed that Iran does not have nuclear weapons and does not have a programme aimed at having nuclear weapons. 'But at the same time, they need to be accountable for everything they do because their programme is extremely big and very ambitious,' he added, noting that this increases the level of Iran's responsibilities. Iran has been found in breach of their obligations before, Mr Grossi added, noting that the IAEA is insisting that its inspectors return to Iran as soon as possible. 'This is what created a situation of concern, sometimes doubts about what was really going on in Iran. And most importantly, because we cannot undo the past, what happened happened, what we need now is to prevent further attacks or violence or situations like this,' he said. Noting that Iran has indicated that they will be ready to restart some conversations 'at a technical level', Mr Grossi added: 'I think we need to reengage in a normal relationship. It's not a matter of confidence or anything else. This is an obligation for as long as you are a party to the NPT.' DEALING WITH NUCLEAR WASTE Mr Grossi also responded to a question from the High Commissioner of South Africa to Singapore Charlotte Lobe about the disposal of radioactive waste and how to deal with the environmental impact of using nuclear energy. Highlighting that countries have been using nuclear power for more than 50 years, the IAEA's chief said: 'There has never been an accident or a problem with the nuclear waste.' This means that the world has technologically apt solutions for dealing with nuclear waste, he added. 'Important to be considered is that no country can have a nuclear power programme without a very clearly defined and agreed plan for the waste. You cannot simply start a nuclear power plant and then I will see what I do when the fuel has been burned and I have to put it somewhere,' said Mr Grossi. There are very clear methodologies to deal with nuclear waste that are used to 'great success'. Debates have been more centred around the long-term disposal of nuclear waste, which will hold a certain degree of radiation for hundreds or thousands of years, the IAEA chief noted. The amount of nuclear waste is 'extremely low', he stressed. 'We are not creating a mountain of nuclear waste that cannot be handled.' What countries normally do is they look for a place with a 'very stable geological situation' and then the waste is put in a container until it is no longer dangerous, said Mr Grossi. 'More important, we even check and inspect. We are the only industry that checks the rubbish,' he added, to laughter from the audience. Nuclear waste is inspected to ensure that it is not a radiation hazard and that it complies with nuclear non-proliferation measures, said Mr Grossi, who added that it is important to explain decisions to the public and to be accountable for them.
