Nuclear Energy in Singapore? Maybe Can...

I read today's news about the potential of Singapore using nuclear energy.

Then read the Online Citizen's article: The truth about nuclear energy

Think a lot of the concerns for nuke energy that others have posted on The Online Citizen's article are very valid. I mean, nuke fallout will render land unusable for hundreds, if not thousands, of years - just look at Chernobyl.

However, there's another nuke technology - the use of thorium reactors. R&D was done in the field of thorium power from the '50s to the '70s, and thorium reactors now can have a zero-risk meltdown potential. However, the USA chose to focus on uranium reactors instead, because uranium would allow them to make nuke weapons.

But 40 years later, esp w the need for less CO2-generating techs, researchers have started looking into thorium power generation again. There are a lot of sensible reasons for looking into thorium (see chart below):

And thorium nuke plants have a zero-risk of meltdown. That means if one of the reactors kena ter-ba-bom, then at least Singapore will still be a little red dot, not a green glowing dot. :P

I think this might be the kind of nuclear technology that the committee was talking about:

'Advances in nuclear technology will make it much safer than earlier designs, and we should carefully study its viability for a small city-state like Singapore,' said the committee's report.

If that's so, it would be great, and I think I would support the government's decision on this. However, I think we should first ask the committee what kind of technologies and protections they would use. Transparency in this kind of assessment is an absolute must. If they want to use uranium technology, with all its dangers... I am so going to protest man.

But I like one commenter's quip:

if new water is ok then nuclear plant is ok. their children also live here.

So, haha, perhaps we need not be too worried on this matter regarding nuclear energy. Governance isn't easy, huh? :P

Suggested articles for further reading:
1. World Nuclear Association: Thorium

2. Technology Review: Cleaner Nuclear Power?

3. Wired.com: Uranium Is So Last Century — Enter Thorium, the New Green Nuke

4. Cosmos Magazine: New age nuclear