Singapore seeks to join global fusion energy industry — Channel NewsAsia
Singapore seeks to join the global fusion energy industry by leveraging the country's human resources, scientific and industrial capabilities. Minister for Energy and Industry at the Ministry of Trade and Industry Tan See Leng said this at the FusionX:APAC event, Channel NewsAsia reports.
According to the minister, the country can participate in the broader fusion energy economy even without having its own reactor. Singapore already has specialists and experience in precision engineering, advanced manufacturing and plasma diagnostics — areas important for this technology.
Technological capabilities
Unlike nuclear fission, fusion generates energy through the merging of atomic nuclei. Tan See Leng noted that this requires atoms to be contained at high temperatures and pressure, while the necessary conditions must be stably maintained for a long time. At the same time, progress has emerged in recent years in the development of gyrotrons and superconducting magnets, and one fusion reactor demonstrated a net energy gain under experimental conditions.
The minister called fusion energy one of the potential directions for the country's energy transition. Among its possible advantages, he mentioned lower volumes of radioactive waste and a limited risk of uncontrolled reactions. According to the forecast cited in the report, the value of the fusion energy ecosystem could reach US$419.84 billion by the end of the decade.
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Partnerships and manufacturing
In 2023, Singapore established a fusion energy alliance with France. It combined Nanyang Technological University's expertise in artificial intelligence and computing with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission's competencies in plasma physics. This enabled Singaporean researchers to deepen their expertise and work with international fusion facilities, including the French WEST tokamak.
A*STAR, in cooperation with U.S. company Realta Fusion, supplied a diagnostic tool to measure plasma velocity. ST Engineering manufactures tokamak components for Commonwealth Fusion Systems' SPARC demonstration reactor, while A*STAR and Commonwealth Fusion Systems signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of commercial fusion power plants.
Singapore's government agencies are also preparing for an assessment of the country's nuclear capabilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2027. The authorities are developing expertise in reactor engineering, safety and regulation, but the country has not yet made a decision on building a nuclear power plant.
