Canada to help S-E Asia tap nuclear energy with S'pore-based working group

Canada, a veteran in nuclear energy, is working with South-east Asia as the region seeks to capture atomic opportunities.

- Shabana Begum

A nuclear energy working group was launched by the Singapore-based Canada-Asean Business Council on Nov 29 at the inaugural Canada-Asean Energy Transition Summit held in the Republic.

It is a platform for businesses, policymakers and regulators to collaborate in areas such as building nuclear energy capacity, raising a nuclear workforce, unlocking investments and educating the public about the energy source.

Initial members of the nuclear energy working group include the Canada-Asean Business Council, engineering services and nuclear organisation Atkins Realis, the Canadian Nuclear Association, and universities and colleges.

The working group is looking to collaborate with the Asean Centre for Energy.

In February 2025, the nuclear working group, chaired by Ms Jan De Silva who is also Canada's co-chairwoman at the business council will hold a symposium in Singapore where institutions from Canada and South-east Asia will exchange knowledge about nuclear research and engineering.

The need to build up a nuclear workforce in the region was a common thread running through various programmes at the current summit.

"As markets are thinking longer term about transitioning their (traditional) electricity sources to nuclear, how do we take that existing workforce and train them up for new nuclear activities? Partnerships between our colleges and universities can make that happen," said Ms De Silva.