Southeast Asia Explores Nuclear as Clean Energy Source
While Labor continues with its firm aversion to nuclear power, Australia’s neighbours in Southeast Asia are exploring it as an alternative source to reach their clean energy goals.
On July 31, Singapore signed a deal with the United States to foster civil nuclear cooperation in pursuit of energy security and the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The deal, known as a 123 Agreement because such deals are based on Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954, provides a legal framework for nuclear collaboration between countries in accordance with non-proliferation requirements.
Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954 requires that the U.S. reach a peaceful agreement before formalising nuclear cooperation with other states – the pact allows the transfer of nuclear material and equipment from the U.S., as well as bilateral collaboration in other areas including technology, education and research.
Signed in Singapore by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the pact will come into force by the end of 2024 and will last for 30 years.
The 123 Agreement emphasises a mutual commitment to nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation, adhering to standards by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It ensures that the information and equipment shared through the partnership will only be used for “peaceful purposes”, according to the joint statement on the agreement.
Opportunity
While Singapore maintains that no decision has been made on the deployment of nuclear power in the country, the agreement will give Singapore the opportunity to assess the affordability, sustainability and reliability of the nuclear energy option.
The city-state will also join America’s Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program, to study how advanced and emerging nuclear energy technologies “can potentially support climate goals while balancing critical energy needs”. Through FIRST, the U.S. can support Singapore’s capacity-building by providing access to networks in the civil nuclear sector.
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Republished with thanks to News Weekly. Image courtesy of Adobe.
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I’m sure I saw a bloke that that looked like Albo struggling to get into a submarine the other night. Aren’t those subs full of nuclear stuff? You know, that poisonous stuff used by countries around the world to provide 24/7 clean energy to their countries.
It is always amazing to me that the dirtiest form of power generation (Nuclear) is now being called “clean energy”. Harmless carbon dioxide is essential for life and makes plants grow. High level nuclear waste – which every type of reactor produces – is possibly the most dangerous and toxic substance known to man – and it remains dangerous for thousands of years.
The safe disposal of high level waste is always glossed over. Usually there is a bait and switch to low level waste, which while problematical is at least possible to deal with. There are cooling pools next to reactors all over the world with used nuclear fuel that has been sitting for decades waiting to go to a permanent safe storage place. No such place exists. All that has been done is to “kick the can down the road” and hope the next generation(s) find a way to deal with it. It’s the opposite of good stewardship. We are talking about storing stuff for tens of thousands of years – and I believe the world is only six thousand years old!
Let’s call out the lies of the climate alarmism movement, rather than falling for a toxic and dangerous solution to a non-existant problem.