S. Iswaran, the Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said a "pre-feasibility study" was being carried out in order to "better understand the complex field of nuclear energy."

But "even with the completion of the pre-feasibility study, we will still be a long way away from making any decisions on nuclear energy for Singapore per se," Iswaran told parliament.

He said the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the March 11 quake and tsunami, made it even more crucial for Singapore to embark on the study.

Insights gained from the study will enable Singapore to understand the industry better since its neighbours including Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia have indicated plans to use atomic power.

"Even if we do not proceed with nuclear energy for Singapore, we need to understand its implications for the region and for us in Singapore," Iswaran said.

The city-state currently generates its power from oil and gas fired power stations.

The month-old nuclear plant crisis in Japan has triggered concerns globally on the use of nuclear power plants to supplement existing energy sources.

But Iswaran said nuclear power cannot be ruled out as an option because of the world's growing thirst for increasingly scarce energy supplies.

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