Singapore’s island merger plan fuels nuclear power speculation

Singapore’s plan to merge several islands off its southwest coast into a new hub for industry, defence and “new power generation infrastructure” has stirred speculation over whether the site could one day host a nuclear power plant.The city state is studying advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), as part of its long-term planning for a net-zero power system, but the government has not decided whether to deploy nuclear energy, let alone where any future plant could be sited.Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during Sunday’s National Day Rally that Singapore would, over the coming decades, merge Bukom, Sudong and Semakau, along with other smaller islands, to create a larger island, similar to how it developed Jurong Island.The new western island would not just be used for petrochemicals, it would also support a new generation of industries, including advanced manufacturing facilities and military purposes.“It can accommodate new power generation infrastructure to meet Singapore’s future needs,” said Wong, without specifying what kind of power would be generated there.Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the National Day Rally speech on Sunday. Photo: YouTube/CNASocial media users were quick to speculate that the island could be used for a nuclear reactor, with one saying: “So that’s where the nuclear plant will be.”