Đedović Handanović discusses Serbia’s nuclear power plan with Russian ambassador

Russia is interested in cooperating with Serbia in the nuclear energy sector. According to the authorities, the country is still a long way away from the potential construction of a nuclear power plant.

Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Dubravka Đedović Handanović met with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko to discuss joint projects and initiatives in the energy sector. The topics included nuclear energy, natural gas and oil.

Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko said the Russian Federation is interested in establishing cooperation with Serbia in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Minister Đedović Handanović stressed that the preliminary technical study on the peaceful use of nuclear energy in Serbia has been completed.

The next steps in the development process have been defined, while the potential construction of a nuclear power plant remains a long way away, she stressed.

Serbia is ready to cooperate with relevant partners

She reiterated that Serbia respects the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which are also incorporated in the country’s legal framework.

“We are currently discussing the necessary studies that would allow us, at least five years from now, to discuss the potential construction of a nuclear power plant,” she underscored.

Đedović Handanović pointed out that Serbia needs technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and capacity building to create the staff that would be capable of managing a power plant in the future. The country is eager to collaborate with relevant partners, she added.

So far, Serbia has discussed cooperation with China, France, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea and the United States.

A regulatory entity for nuclear energy will be established

Currently, the institutional framework is being prepared, primarily within the ministry, after which a regulatory entity for nuclear energy needs to be established, Đedović Handanović announced.

She stressed that Serbia aims to continue the good cooperation and finalize a new long-term natural gas supply agreement with Gazprom.

The two officials also touched upon the potential sanctions of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) against the national oil and gas company, Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). The measures have recently been postponed for the fifth time, until August 27.

Regarding the construction of the Serbia-Hungary oil pipeline, Đedović Handanović said companies NIS, Transnafta, and MOL are continuing to negotiate capacity and financial aspects of the project, and pointed out that the technical specifications of the pipeline have been agreed upon.