Nuclear fusion can create economic opportunity for Singapore: Tan See Leng

SINGAPORE - Tapping the process of nuclear fusion for energy generation may still be some years away, but there are still economic opportunities in this area that Singapore is well-placed to capture, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said on Oct 1.

Speaking at the opening of a nuclear fusion conference FusionX:APAC held at the Biopolis, he highlighted how the fusion ecosystem is forecast to reach a value of US$419.84 billion (S$535 billion) by the end of this decade.

The three-day conference organised by SGInnovate, a Government-backed venture builder, will bring together global fusion firms, researchers and investors to take stock of the opportunities and challenges of the emerging field.

“Even for countries like Singapore without our own fusion reactor, we can leverage our talent, R&D, and industrial capabilities to support the broader fusion economy,” Tan said.

Currently, commercial nuclear energy plants tap the process of fission - where the nucleus of a uranium atom splits - to generate electricity. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, refers to reactions that produce energy when hydrogen particles are forced - or fused - together.

Tan said he is encouraged by a fusion reactor that has produced more energy under experimental conditions. Most experiments usually require more energy to deliver a reaction.

In 2022, the National Ignition Facility in California used 2.05 megajoules of energy to deliver a fusion reaction that produced 3.15 megajoules of energy.

“Such technical progress in fusion has been met with growing commercial interest, with sizeable investment flows going into fusion energy companies,” he said.

Fusion is the same process that happens on the sun, and is more challenging to replicate on Earth because the reaction must be done in temperatures of 100 million deg C or more - which is several times hotter than the sun.

But it is an attractive option in the energy sector as the fusion process has less of a risk of a runaway chain reaction or meltdown, while releasing no planet-warming carbon emissions.

Even as research continues on this front, there are other uses for fusion technology, such as in space.

During the event, Tan highlighted plasma scientist Mark Lim, who now heads space-tech firm Aliena, which develops plasma-based engines for spacecraft.

Fusion reactors include a futuristic doughnut-shaped chamber, called a tokamak, that contains plasma - a superheated soup of ions - where the fusion reaction takes place.

Tan said that Singapore has much to offer the global fusion economy.

For one, the Republic has nurtured expertise and talent in areas relevant to fusion, such as as in precision engineering, advanced manufacturing and in measuring the properties and behaviour of plasma.

Moreover, Singapore’s research and engineering efforts have also helped to overcome technical challenges in fusion.

For instance, he said A*STAR has also worked with another US fusion company Realta Fusion since 2023 and successfully delivered a tool to measure the speed and direction of plasma.

Tan also cited A*STAR’s recent partnership in May with the world’s largest nuclear fusion firm, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which will focus on developing technologies for commercial fusion power plants.

A*STAR and ST Engineering had also entered an agreement with Commonwealth to produce components for the US company’s fusion demo reactor, building on Singapore’s advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Singapore’s vibrant tech ecosystem, which brings together research, industry, talent and capital, also matters for emerging technologies like fusion, Tan added.

“Turning scientific breakthroughs into commercial opportunities requires not just technical expertise, but patient capital and strong industry partnerships,” he added.

On the potential of nuclear fusion energy for Singapore, Tan added that global developments have given Singapore new impetus to leave “no option unexplored in (its) energy transition”.

The country is diligently study and build capabilities in more nascent energy pathways such as hydrogen. “Fusion energy is one potential pathway we are following closely,” he said.

Tan noted that his ministry was officially renamed the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) on Oct 1. It was previously known as the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He said the renaming reflects the increasing recognition of the importance of energy as an enabler for economic growth, climate goals, and resilience.

Singapore has not decided on whether it will tap nuclear energy, but is making strides in closely studying nuclear fission.

It will undergo an assessment by the UN atomic watchdog,

the International Atomic Energy Agency

in 2027 to determine the Republic’s ability to make an informed decision on nuclear energy deployment.