Singapore to attract more nuclear experts for security reason

While there are no plans to build nuclear power plants in Singapore, a pool of local nuclear experts will be developed in the next five years to protect the city-state from radiation, said the country's National Research Foundation (NRF) on Friday.

The move came one day before Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong kicks off his visit to the United States from March 26 to April 1 during which he will attend the Nuclear Security summit.

Experts will be trained to protect Singapore from radiation in case a nuclear incident occurs in the region. They should be able to tell whether the radiation will affect Singapore based on the wind directions, wind speeds, and calculate the amount of radiation in the air, NRF said.

ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam have showed interest or plans to build nuclear power plants, which some experts here have shown their concern over its security and supply.

"We are concerned about security and supply from pipe gas, so we will have the same issues in getting nuclear energy from another country because it's beyond our sovereign borders."said Dr Yeoh Lean Weng, NRF director of the Energy and Environment Research Directorate.

Moreover, experts should also have the capability to find out radiation contamination in the nation's waters and in food imports, the foundation noted.

A program which trains 100 nuclear experts over the next decade has been initiated, NRF said, adding that it plans to attract more talent by broadening career paths for nuclear scientists and boost scholarships. Enditem