Introduction

Singapore is ‘seriously studying’ nuclear energy. That phrase — used by Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng in March 2026 — marks a meaningful shift in tone for a city-state that has historically treated nuclear power as incompatible with its land constraints and population density. Driven by energy security concerns, net-zero commitments for 2050, and the voracious electricity demands of a rapidly expanding data centre sector, Singapore is for the first time laying genuine groundwork for a possible nuclear future. Whether that future materialises will depend on technology, regulation, finance, and politics in equal measure.

The Policy Shift

Budget 2025 included a formal commitment to study the potential deployment of nuclear power and systematically build national capabilities. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) subsequently appointed UK-based engineering firm Mott MacDonald in September 2025 to conduct a safety and technical feasibility study on advanced nuclear technologies, evaluating maturity, safety features, and commercial readiness. In February 2026, Singapore signed a cooperation agreement with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) — the builder of the UAE’s Barakah plant — for a joint Small Modular Reactor (SMR) feasibility study, adding to earlier agreements with Idaho National Laboratory and Battelle Memorial Institute in the United States.

The Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative (SNRSI), elevated to Institute status in July 2025 following S$150 million of government investment since 2014, provides the research backbone. The Nuclear Energy Office at EMA coordinates policy. Together, these institutions represent Singapore’s nascent nuclear establishment — small by international standards but growing systematically.

Why Small Modular Reactors?

Conventional nuclear plants — gigawatt-scale facilities requiring substantial land and exclusion zones — are plainly incompatible with Singapore’s geography. SMRs, with outputs typically between 50 MW and 300 MW, offer a potentially viable alternative: factory-fabricated, modular, capable of incorporating passive safety systems, and designed for smaller footprints. Several SMR designs are advancing through regulatory approval processes in the US, UK, and Canada. However, no commercial SMR has yet been deployed at scale globally, and construction cost projections remain wide-ranging — from optimistic estimates of US$3,000–5,000 per kilowatt to more cautious assessments approaching US$10,000 per kilowatt. Singapore’s feasibility studies must contend with this uncertainty directly.

What It Would Take

Beyond technology selection, nuclear deployment in Singapore would require resolution of four interlocking challenges. Land and siting: even SMRs require dedicated sites with buffer zones, pointing toward offshore platforms, artificial islands, or underground configurations — all technically complex and capital-intensive. Public acceptance: Singapore’s population density means community risk perception is a major political variable, and the government has been deliberate about framing its nuclear studies as exploratory rather than decisional. Regulatory infrastructure: building a safety and licensing regime comparable in rigour to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission or France’s ASN requires years of institutional development — a timeline that constrains how quickly any deployment decision could be implemented. Grid integration: Singapore’s small, island grid would need redesign to absorb baseload nuclear capacity without creating unacceptable single-point risk.

The KHNP partnership is strategically significant. South Korea has one of the world’s most cost-competitive nuclear construction records and has built the only currently operational nuclear plant in the Gulf region. Its experience in siting, regulatory engagement, and operational management in non-traditional nuclear markets is directly applicable to Singapore’s situation.

Summary

No deployment decision has been made, and Singapore is explicit that it remains at the feasibility and capability-building stage. Yet the trajectory is unmistakable: nuclear energy has moved from a politely deferred question to a live policy consideration. For energy professionals, infrastructure investors, and policymakers across Asia, Singapore’s nuclear journey deserves careful attention — not only for its own sake, but as a potential template for how other land-constrained, energy-importing economies with serious net-zero commitments approach the post-fossil-fuel energy transition.