Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović chaired the first meeting of the Interministerial Expert Working Group tasked with examining the justification for embarking on the development of nuclear energy. Together with the Group for the Preparation and Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Program, this body will form the future National Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO). The establishment of NEPIO is expected in the coming weeks, according to a statement from the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
As the Minister emphasized, Phase 1 will be completed by mid-next year and will include a comprehensive analysis of the necessary legislative framework, as well as technical, safety, market, and human resource requirements. This phase will involve all relevant institutions and the wider public, alongside cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The outcome of this phase will be a comprehensive report and a proposal for Serbia’s national position on the application of nuclear energy.
This will be followed by Phase 2, which involves preparation for the construction of a nuclear power plant. According to Đedović Handanović, the entire initial preparation process would take around four years.
As part of the analysis, the potential involvement of domestic industry in the nuclear program will also be considered. The first four studies will be prepared in cooperation with the French company EDF, with the support of the French Development Agency, based on an intergovernmental agreement between Serbia and France.
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“We will rely on the French electricity utility, but as far as the specific technology to be used is concerned, no decision has yet been made, and this will be subject to further analysis. The location where the plant would be built will have to meet all safety criteria, but all of this will be decided in the years ahead. Our industry can contribute to the development of the nuclear program, and it is important that these potentials are identified and analyzed in a timely manner in order to strengthen the value chain in our country. The contribution to the local economy, for example, in the United Arab Emirates during the development of its nuclear program, amounted to around USD 7 billion,” the Minister stated.
Đedović Handanović also recalled that 20 national institutions have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of nuclear energy, which provides a foundation for coordinated work on this long-term and complex project.
Members of the Interministerial Expert Working Group will include representatives of numerous institutions, among them the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Vinča, the Nikola Tesla Electrical Engineering Institute, the Serbian Nuclear Society, SRBATOM, Nuclear Facilities of Serbia, Elektromreža Srbije, Elektroprivreda Srbije, as well as several ministries.
The working group faces a multi-year task of establishing the foundations for introducing nuclear energy into Serbia’s power system, with the aim of increasing the country’s long-term energy security.
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