Straits Times 10 Feb 09;
NUCLEAR power remains an option for Singapore as an alternative energy source, but there are serious issues that require careful attention.
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, reiterated the Government's stance on nuclear energy when he spoke in Parliament yesterday, saying: 'We have not ruled out any fuel option, nuclear or otherwise, in the long run.'
He noted, however, that there is a need to study carefully the issues, such as safety, siting and waste disposal, given Singapore's small size and high population density.
International standards require a 30km-wide safety zone around a nuclear plant. Singapore measures around 40km from east to west.
Dr Yaacob was responding to Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) who asked if the Government would consider nuclear energy in the near future, as an alternative source of carbon-free energy.
At a lunch hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Association last December, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore may consider using nuclear power in the long term, and even look into the option of an underground plant.
He stressed, however, the difficulties associated with a nuclear plant, and the relatively small size of the domestic energy market.
KOR KIAN BENG
