Singapore is investing in the knowledge to ask careful questions about nuclear energy—without having decided whether to use it. A S$66 million grant and new premises for the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI) mark a step in building that expertise.
The institute opened its new premises at the National University of Singapore on 11 July 2025. The 12,900-square-metre building is located at 16 Prince George’s Park. According to NUS and the National Environment Agency, the funding will support expanded research into nuclear safety.
The grant covers two and a half years of research, starting in December 2024, under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan. The work is intended to help Singapore develop the capabilities needed to assess nuclear technologies and their safety. That distinction matters: preparing to evaluate an option is not the same as choosing to adopt it.
Singapore has not decided whether to deploy nuclear energy. During Budget 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the Government would study its potential while continuing to build expertise. The country is also monitoring small modular reactors, or SMRs, and other advanced nuclear technologies as possible future energy options. The article describes SMRs as much smaller than conventional reactors and safer, but it does not establish that they would be suitable for Singapore.
Alongside research, Singapore plans to build a pool of about 100 nuclear energy experts over the medium to long term. People with relevant knowledge would help the country understand new technologies and assess questions of safety as it considers its future energy choices.
The institute’s work also reflects the wider importance of nuclear safety in the region. National Research Foundation chairman Heng Swee Keat said safety would remain a priority in the next research plan. The new premises and grant are therefore presented as investments in assessment and preparedness—not as an announcement that a nuclear power plant will be built.
For now, the central development is Singapore’s effort to strengthen its ability to examine nuclear energy carefully. Whether the country will use it, and which technology might be considered, remain undecided.
Source: Nuclear safety research in Singapore boosted with S$66 million grant, new radiation-proof facility in NUS, CNA
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