Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović she stated at the Nuclear Summit in Paris that Serbia wants to be a part of the upcoming era of electricity nuclear renaissance that is happening in the world through partnerships, new technologies and sustainable development.
She pointed out that Serbia for the development of the economy, new technologies and artificial intelligence, more electricity is needed and that this means that the country needs a nuclear power plant by 2040 in order to achieve its development goals.
She reminded that a year and a half ago, Serbia lifted the ban on the use of nuclear energy and that it is now in the first phase of the development of the nuclear program, and that the country's investment plans until 2030 and 2035 envisage nuclear energy as one of the pillars of the development of the energy sector.
According to her, the goal is to complete the first phase by the middle of 2027, which means that the country has all the information needed to make an informed decision about the nuclear program.
"By 2032, Serbia should, in terms of institutional, regulatory and professional capacities, have sufficient capacity for choosing technology and entering the construction process, so that around 2040 it can have nuclear power plant online," said Đedović Handanović.
Photo: Pexels/RobIllustration
She added that Serbia wants to take advantage of the new rise of nuclear energy in the world in order to support its long-term goals of energy security, energy independence and sustainable energy transition.
"It would have a positive impact on domestic industry as well, creating new value chains, new jobs and strengthening our base of experts, engineers and technicians," she said.
She emphasized the importance of a new round of technical cooperation with the IAEA, where the agency will provide support, among other things, through scholarship and training programs, strengthening of regulatory capacities, development of safety standards.
She announced that a high delegation of the French company EDF will soon come to Serbia, with whom a letter of intent should be signed for continued cooperation in phase 1 of the development of the nuclear program and the preparation of four additional studies concerning human resources, analysis of the legislative framework and public opinion.
