UK eyeing partnerships in S'pore to further nuclear fusion research

Agency looking to tap firms strong in use of AI, advanced manufacturing

- Cheryl Tan

With Singapore firms showing interest in contributing to the search for solutions to some of the key challenges in nuclear fusion, Britain, which is launching its own mega fusion project, is eyeing potential research and commercial collaborations with organisations here.

The development of nuclear fusion in Singapore will enable the city-state to contribute its capabilities in fields like materials engineering and artificial intelligence (AI) to this emerging field, experts say.

This will allow Singapore to reap shorter-term economic benefits, such as in the form of intellectual property or new technology, even as the city-state considers the use of nuclear energy.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)'s chief executive, Professor Ian Chapman, who was in Singapore on a three-day visit from Sept 11 to 13, told The Straits Times that his agency is in talks with some Singapore companies and research institutes, such as A*Star, for potential collaboration.

He added that companies here, including ST Engineering and small and medium-sized enterprises, have shown interest in solving some of the key challenges in nuclear fusion.

His visit comes on the back of the UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership that was signed in September 2023, under which both countries are looking to grow a strong partnership in fusion energy.

Nuclear fusion is an emerging form of nuclear energy generation that involves combining two forms of hydrogen at extreme temperatures of 150 million deg C - 10 times hotter than the centre of the sun.

In contrast, conventional nuclear fission reactions - the dominant technology used by current nuclear plants - do not require such high temperatures. In fission, radioactive uranium atoms are split into two, kicking off a chain reaction that releases a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation.