Djedovic Handanovic, Rosatom director general discuss cooperation in nuclear power sector

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic met on Monday with a delegation of the Russian state-owned nuclear power corporation Rosatom, headed by the firm's Director-General Alexey Likhachev, to discuss bilateral cooperation in the nuclear power sector.

Djedovic Handanovic said Serbia was planning to build additional power generation capabilities and that a new stable source of base energy was needed for economic growth, new technologies, artificial intelligence and decarbonisation of the energy sector, the Ministry of Mining and Energy said in a statement.

She noted that Serbia had adopted strategic documents identifying nuclear power as an option post-2040 and that the Serbian government was due to approve the establishment of a national organisation for nuclear programme implementation.

"We plan to finish the first and the second stage of the nuclear programme by 2032. In the preparatory stage, we are cooperating with the French company EDF, and we are also keen on cooperating with other technology stakeholders we can learn from. At that time, the technology of small modular reactors will also be more developed than it is today and we will be able to consider them as an option. Once we become fully capable institutionally and in terms of regulations and staff, we will be able to select a partner, a technology stakeholder, and begin the construction process to be able to have a nuclear power plant on the grid post-2040," she said.

The minister said Serbia and Russia maintained decades-long cooperation in the energy sector - in the gas, oil and electricity industries - and that there were deep ties and successful cooperation on various projects.

Likhachev presented Rosatom's experiences and activities, current projects, as well as plans for the future and modalities for potential cooperation.

"Rosatom is a global leader in nuclear energy and it is currently building approximately 30 high- and low-power units in nine countries including China, India, Egypt, Turkey and Hungary. As part of a working group, we could exchange experiences and knowledge with Serbia. Our experts can cooperate in areas such as information and education for the public, strengthening of staff capacities and analysis of the regulatory framework," he said.

The meeting was also attended by Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan Kharchenko.