Latest news with #SRNathanFellowship
AsiaOne
4 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Singapore has laid the groundwork, no problems in having nuclear energy : IAEA chief, Singapore News
Singapore faces no 'insurmountable challenges' should it decide to adopt nuclear energy as a source of power, said the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi on Saturday (July 26). The UN nuclear watchdog chief made the remarks during a sit-down interview with local media at the sidelines of his one-day visit to Singapore, which is part of the S R Nathan Fellowship, a high-level programme for foreign leaders and prominent individuals to visit the country. The 64-year-old said that unlike some countries which would have to start from scratch, Singapore has already laid the 'groundwork' if it chooses to embark on a nuclear energy programme. The Argentinian pointed to Singapore as a 'fine technological base' with 'mature' regulatory framework, and 'very good safety and research capabilities'. 'I don't see any obstacles (for Singapore),' he added. 'For some countries, it could be financing, or the lack of human capacity — the workforce. 'You don't have these problems… There are many boxes that have been checked already.' Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also finance minister, said in his Budget speech in February that Singapore would study the potential deployment of nuclear power here. On Friday morning, Grossi met with PM Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng, as well as Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. Grossi said that these leaders have reiterated to him the Government's position that it has yet to make a decision on whether to deploy nuclear energy. 'They are very interested in looking into this. So at some point, they will make an evaluation and decide whether it is time to go in that direction, or not at all,' he added. Singapore previously announced its decarbonisation plans, with a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. But Grossi noted that the Republic has limitations when it comes to renewable energy. 'It's clear that you don't have the space to deploy wind parks. There's no hydropower here in the amount that is needed,' he said. 'Nuclear energy appears (a) logical option looking forward.' Besides Singapore, several countries in South-East Asia are also weighing up whether to turn to nuclear power, or have already made plans to build nuclear plants. These include Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. On concerns about safety, Grossi said that the perception that introducing nuclear power generates 'immediate risk' is not 'sustained by reality'. 'The thing is, like in private life, to manage risks and reduce them to the bare minimum,' he added. Grossi pointed to IAEA's work with countries on safety and nuclear security, including knowing what to do in case of an accident. He said: 'Already today, without having any nuclear power plant, Singapore has an amazing network of radiation monitoring capabilities, which allows a country to capture any level of radiation. 'At the same time, informs.. the environmental authorities and the nuclear regulator to see whether, in that eventual case, there has to be an evacuation of people.' Separately, Singapore on Friday renewed an agreement with the IAEA to develop training programmes in nuclear science and technology for developing IAEA member states. Under the renewed Third Country Training Programme, it will include fellowships, scientific visits and training courses, covering topics such as human health, industrial radiography, and environmental radioactivity monitoring and analysis. During his visit on Friday, Grossi also delivered a lecture hosted by the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute at the National University of Singapore and visited the National Environment Agency and toured the institute's facilities. [[nid:675560]] Chingshijie@
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
As Asean looks to nuclear energy, public education efforts are needed: UN nuclear watchdog chief
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Director-general of the IAEA Rafael Grossi said many people still have certain impressions of the nuclear energy form due to previous incidents. SINGAPORE – With more governments in the region considering the use of nuclear energy, public education efforts will be key to helping people learn more about nuclear technology, said the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog on July 25. Speaking to the local media during a one-day visit to Singapore, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr Rafael Grossi, said many people still have certain impressions of the energy form due to previous nuclear incidents. 'But the reality is that the Asean governments are approaching IAEA and telling me that they want nuclear energy, and they are asking for capacity building, training, exchanges, courses and seminars,' he said during the hour-long interview at Shangri-La Hotel. 'So in my opinion, it would be good to do more information sharing, education campaigns, dissemination of information, because it's true that public perceptions may still be influenced by a certain inertia from past examples, like what happened in Fukushima,' he said. In 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan suffered a meltdown in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake and tsunami. The incident changed nuclear policy around the world, with countries like Germany choosing to phase out nuclear energy. That disaster involved conventional nuclear technologies which had been built up to the 1990s. Advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors have heightened safety features and are considered to be safer. Mr Grossi was in Singapore as part of the S R Nathan Fellowship, a high-level programme for foreign leaders and prominent individuals to visit the country. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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IAEA also renewed an existing partnership with Singapore that allows both the UN atomic body and Singapore to continue training countries on matters related to nuclear science and technology, and their peaceful use. Mr Grossi also delivered a lecture hosted by the newly launched Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute at NUS, and visited the National Environment Agency and the institute's facilities. Global interest in nuclear energy has been surging, as countries turn to the energy form to address concerns over energy security and the power sector's carbon footprint. Asean countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are exploring the use of nuclear energy. Japan is also building its first new nuclear reactor since the Fukushima meltdown. The processes used in generating energy via nuclear reactions do not release planet-warming carbon dioxide, unlike the burning of fossil fuels. Some detractors of nuclear energy say that countries can get carbon-free electricity from renewable energy and need not rely on nuclear energy. Mr Grossi said this was a 'false dichotomy', adding: 'There's no such thing as renewables versus nuclear.' Renewable energy is important, and Mr Grossi said he celebrated the declining costs of renewables and higher rates of adoption. But there are limitations to harnessing renewable energy. Some countries may have constrained access to renewables, due to their geography. Even for nations blessed with ample wind or solar energy, there are other issues such as intermittency and limitations in battery capacity, he noted. For example, solar energy is intermittent, which refers to energy not being generated at a constant rate due to cloud cover. What countries need are intelligent, integrated energy mixes which may include more renewable energy and less nuclear power, Mr Grossi added. Responding to a question on whether the IAEA has to 'allow' a country to explore nuclear energy, Mr Grossi said it is every country's sovereign right to decide to go for a nuclear programme. But those that are keen to do so must abide by stringent nuclear safety and security rules, he said. 'A country that wants a nuclear programme must be a party to the convention on nuclear safety. They must be a party to the IAEA (and) must submit itself to peer reviews and monitoring,' he said. The IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety requires parties that operate land-based civil nuclear power plants to submit reports for 'peer review', according to IAEA's website. 'It is a system that has an interlocking network of regulatory, mutual checks with the IAEA in coordination. So this gives countries the certainty that... you know what your neighbour is doing,' he said. The IAEA chief also said that it is 'logical' for Singapore to consider tapping nuclear energy, as the island state has limited access to renewable energy options. But that decision ultimately lies with the Government and Singaporeans. The Republic has yet to make a decision to tap nuclear energy. 'I think for Singapore, there are no insurmountable challenges… in some countries, it could be the financing or the lack of human capacity, workforce,' he said. 'You don't have those problems in Singapore… many boxes have been checked already in Singapore.' On the risk of deploying nuclear energy in the city-state, Mr Grossi said there are already protocols in place here to monitor radioactivity levels, and procedures on what to do in case of accidents. In Singapore, the National Environment Agency manages a suite of tools to keep track of ambient radiation levels, including around 40 radiation monitoring stations for air and water islandwide. The agency is also working with other countries in the region to set up a South-east Asian early warning network with sensors deployed across the countries and data shared in the event of an emergency. 'No country can start a nuclear programme without having very severe nuclear safety preconditions being in place,' he added.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
This photo shows a Labor MP happily hanging out with locals at the local tennis club... Here's where he REALLY was when he posted this image
A jet-setting Labor MP flew abroad on five occasions in just seven months on trips that cost the taxpayer thousands of dollars - but curiously posted photos on social media taken in his constituency while overseas. Julian Hill, the MP for Bruce in Melbourne 's south east, took five trips to nine countries between October 2023 and April last year, according to his Register of Interests and Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) records. Mr Hill billed taxpayers $33,000 to visit Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen in September 2023. But he is yet to publicly disclose on his IPEA records how much he charged taxpayers to attend Inter-Parliamentary Union events in Angola in October 2023 and Switzerland in March 2024. While the costs for trips to Taiwan and Singapore were covered by their respective governments, it is Mr Hill's social media use while away that is most eyebrow raising. On 25th October 2023, while he was in Angola with Milton Dick MP, Senator Deborah O'Neill, Warren Entsch MP, and Senator Linda Reynolds, Mr Hill posted a photo of himself at Nossal High School in his electorate. Then, on 2nd November 2023, while he was in Singapore, Mr Hill posted a photo of himself at Doveton Tennis Club. On 25th March 2024, while he was in Switzerland, Mr Hill posted a photo of himself at a Holi celebration. And then, on April 9, while he was in Taiwan, Mr Hill posted a picture with staff at Mission Australia in Dandenong. A government spokesperson did not comment on Mr Hill's social media posts. 'All costings of Mr Hill's trip as a delegate of the Inter Parliamentary Union have been recorded appropriately in Parliamentarian expense reports, as has other members of the cross-parliamentary delegation,' the spokesperson said. Mr Hill took all these trips as a backbencher, before his appointment as Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs in July 2024. In June last year, he criticised Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for charging taxpayers $23,000 to fly from Canberra to Tamworth via private jet to attend a bush summit. 'Lucky Tamworth, they got $23,000 worth of Peter Dutton's anger and negativity,' he said. For the trip to Taipei, which was paid for by the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hill declared various small gifts he had received. 'Teacup, glass, tea, coffee, sweets, key ring, pen and legislative yuan badge,' his statement of registrable interests notes. Meanwhile, his entire week-long trip to Singapore to participate in the S R Nathan Fellowship was covered by the republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is understood that Mr Hill attends sometimes upwards of 15 events in the community each week. The Labor frontbencher was the target of a homophobic campaign two weeks ago when a couple of offensive banners were hung from an overpass bridge in Dandenong. One said: 'LGBTQ+ means more to Julian Hill than you the people', while the other falsely stated: 'Julian Hill MP – more worried about his husband than his constituents'. Mr Hill is gay and in a relationship but he is not married. The banners triggered a police investigation and criticism from all sides of politics. Mr Hill told the Guardian that the culprits resort to 'these sorts of smears as they've got nothing positive to say'. 'I always have and always will stand up for everyone in the Bruce electorate, no matter their faith, ethnicity or who they are,' Mr Hill added.
