The minister was speaking after talks – see picture above – with Alexei Likhachev, Director General of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, about cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy.
According to the Serbian government’s account of the meeting, Đedović Handanović said Serbia’s government should approve the formation of the National Nuclear Programme Implementation Organisation by the end of the month. She said Serbia plans “to complete the first and second phases of the nuclear programme by 2032, and in the preparatory phase we are cooperating with the French company EDF”.
It reports that Đedović Handanović said that by 2032 “the technology of small modular reactors will be more developed than today and we will be able to consider them as an option. Once we are institutionally, regulatorily and staff-wise equipped, we will be able to choose a partner, a technology carrier, and enter the construction process so that after 2040 we can have a nuclear power plant on the grid”.
Rosatom later reported that in meetings on Monday, Likhachev also held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić “during which they discussed expanding cooperation in nuclear energy, attracting Serbian companies to Rosatom’s international projects, and training Serbian applicants in nuclear fields at Russian universities”.
It quoted Likhachev as saying: “The Serbian leadership is currently considering the possibility of constructing the country’s first nuclear power plant. Rosatom State Corporation is offering its Serbian partners comprehensive cooperation. Nuclear energy offers Serbia an opportunity to ensure energy sovereignty and security for decades to come. Rosatom is the largest player in the foreign nuclear power plant construction market, holding over 90% of the global market share. We are ready to offer Serbia our full range of nuclear energy projects, from small to large-scale”.
Background
Serbia had a longstanding law banning the construction of nuclear power plants, but in December 2024 the National Assembly voted through amendments to the energy law ending that 35-year prohibition.
In October 2024 EDF and French engineering consultancy Egis were awarded a contract by Serbia’s Ministry of Mining & Energy to conduct a preliminary technical study on the potential use of nuclear power in the country, and the country has previously held talks with Russia’s Rosatom about non-energy applications of nuclear technologies. President Aleksandar Vučić has also discussed the option of Serbia acquiring 5 to 10% of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant.
Vučić said at 2024’s multinational Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, that the country was seeking support from other countries in terms of know-how and financing to achieve its aim of getting 1,200 MW of capacity from small modular reactors.
Earlier this month Đedović Handanovic held talks with the Agence Française de Développement about cooperation related to the energy transition “especially in the development of nuclear energy applications in Serbia”.
