Serbia: stance on nuclear power plants until the summer of this year.

The Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, presided over the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Expert Working Group, which, together with the internal group of the ministry, will form the future National Body for the Implementation of the Nuclear Program (NEPIO). With this, Serbia officially entered the first phase of the development of the nuclear program according to the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Deadlines and stages: four years of preparation

The minister presented a precise road map for the next period: phase 1 (until June 2025): completion of analyzes of technical, security and market needs, after which a national position on the construction of a nuclear power plant will be adopted; phase 2 (after June 2025): start of preparations for construction itself; as well as the preparatory process. The total duration of the initial phase is estimated at around four years.

French support and four new studies

Although it was emphasized that the decision on technology has not yet been made, the minister confirmed that in the first phase, Serbia will essentially rely on the French EDF. In cooperation with them, and with the financial support of the French Development Agency (AFD), four additional studies will be prepared that will define the directions of development.

The working group includes more than 20 experts from key institutions, including the “Vinca” Institute, the “Nikola Tesla” Institute, EPS, EMS, as well as representatives of several ministries, including the Ministry of Defense.

Comment

While we welcome the formation of the NEPIO body as a necessary institutional step, we have to point out several critical points arising from this announcement: four key studies have been announced, but we come back to the same problem we had yesterday, and apparently we will have tomorrow: the preliminary study (completed last summer) is still waiting for “EDF approval” to be shown to the public. If we are already planning a final “national attitude” towards nuclear energy in June 2025, the question arises on the basis of which it is adopted if the fundamental documents are unavailable to the public.