The war might be between the US, Israel and Iran, but the rest of us are bearing the fallout. Restaurants in India have gone from removing deep-fried food from their menus to shutting down altogether due to a shortage of cooking gas. Closer to the region, in Thailand, civil servants are being ordered to take the stairs instead of elevators to conserve electricity.
Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng says Singapore’s energy stockpile is “enough to last for months” and has called on businesses and citizens to cut down on their energy consumption, such as by taking public transport. “We need to really brace ourselves for a very bumpy ride ahead,” he says.
Ironically, a war that began over nuclear weapons may now serve as a boon for those advocating for the widespread adoption of nuclear energy. Countries must seriously consider building and operating their own nuclear power plants to meet energy demands.
Prior to Iran’s blockade, governments had to contend with the political backlash from voters concerned about the safety of nuclear technology. The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident is a stark reminder of the disastrous fallout when radioactive contaminants are released into the environment. It is not just the country itself, but its neighbours, who may bear the ecological costs.
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In that sense, the current energy crunch is a ripe opportunity for countries that are already looking to tap into nuclear energy. Policymakers in Singapore are already looking into nuclear energy, whether through the Nuclear Safety Division of the National Environmental Agency (NEA) or the Nuclear Energy Office within the Energy Market Authority.
On March 26, NEA announced that it was commissioning three studies relating to nuclear safety. Notably, one of the commissioned studies will focus on international safety standards, including how to design and operate a nuclear reactor safely.
Ensuring the safety of its citizens must be the utmost priority for any country with nuclear energy ambitions. No amount of political capital will be enough for a government to impose a nuclear energy policy on its people by fiat. That said, it is now far easier for any politician to advocate for nuclear energy.
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Rising petrol and electricity prices have already inflicted economic pain on voters and will continue to do so. Achieving energy independence through nuclear power will not only fill the energy gap but also allow governments to conserve fiscal space, as they will no longer need to divert funds to subsidies or cost-of-living handouts. In addition, nuclear energy will boost economies, as it can power energy-hungry data centres in the age of AI.
National leaders should not forget the age-old adage: never let a good crisis go to waste. The Covid-19 pandemic provided a significant boost to the then-fledgling mRNA technology as a vaccine delivery mechanism. The war in Iran could do the same for nuclear energy.
