Djedovic Handanovic: Stage 1 of nuclear programme to be completed by mid-2027

BELGRADE - At the opening of a workshop on the role and the responsibilities of a National Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation (NEPIO), Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Monday the objective was to finish Stage 1 of a nuclear programme by mid-2027 and to start building the first nuclear power plant by 2035.

Serbia is developing its nuclear programme responsibly and gradually, in compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards, Djedovic Handanovic said.

"Our goal is to complete the first stage by mid-next year, when we will have all the information required for making an informed decision on further development of the nuclear programme. We expect to be ready by 2032, institutionally and in terms of regulations and expertise, to select the technology and launch the process of construction by 2035," an official statement quoted the minister as saying.

She said the authorities had defined project tasks for preparation of all the required studies in line with the IAEA methodology and approach to developing nuclear infrastructure (IAEA Milestones).

"They encompass topics such as the regulatory and legislative frameworks, environmental protection and building staff capacities and supply chains. A preliminary study on peaceful nuclear energy use that we have prepared with the French electric power company EDF has already provided some answers to us and, based on previous cooperation, our decision is that the EDF, which has vast experience and international expertise in this field, should prepare four more studies in the first stage, with the remaining 14 to be subject to further discussions with various interested companies that have vast experience in development of nuclear programmes at European and international level and that have taken part in development of nuclear programmes in other countries," Djedovic Handanovic said.