Photo: Government of Serbia/Slobodan Miljević
Five Serbian ministries signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of nuclear energy with 20 domestic faculties, institutes, and state-owned energy companies.
The purpose of the memorandum is to gather experts from Serbia and abroad to examine the possibility of establishing a program for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the country, according to the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
Prime Minister of Serbia Miloš Vučević attended the signing of the memorandum. He said it corrects the mistake made 35 years ago when the country banned nuclear energy.
No one has any doubts that electricity will be a strategic issue while investments in the sector will be crucial for the sovereignty of a country’s sovereignty, he said.
Vučević: Don’t politicize the issue of the nuclear energy
He stressed that the memorandum is on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and asked the issue not to be politicized. “This is the reason why we wanted to include the experts and members of the academia,” he added.
After the signing ceremony, a panel discussion was held on nuclear energy. According to the ministry, it represents the start of a public debate on the possibilities of using nuclear energy in Serbia.
Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović said the memorandum is aimed at bringing together ministries and academic and scientific institutions and backing them to create conditions for the government to consider the use of nuclear energy.
She added that a preliminary technical study on the use of nuclear energy in Serbia would provide a comparative analysis of available technologies on the market, show the advantages and disadvantages of possible solutions and the technical, economic and market conditions for the construction of nuclear power plants.
The legal ban on the installation of nuclear power plants doesn’t apply to scientific research, mining, geological exploration and staff training
All are necessary prerequisites for making informed decisions, developing scientific and educational programs, building capacity in the institutes and creating the regulatory and institutional framework, Đedović Handanović said.
The ministry recalled that nuclear energy is foreseen in one of the scenarios of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) and in the new Energy Development Strategy, which considers the possibility of utilizing the energy source after 2040.
The moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants has been in force in Serbia since 1989. It was introduced as a response to the 1986 Chernobyl accident.
However, the law doesn’t apply to scientific research, mining, geological exploration and staff training, Đedović Handanović explained.
Of note, Serbia recently signed a memorandum on energy cooperation with French company EDF.
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