Đedović Handanović: Serbia must start building nuclear power plant before 2035

Serbia plans to invest at least EUR 14.4 billion in the energy sector by 2035, and launch the construction of a nuclear power plant, according to the country’s top officials.

President Aleksandar Vučić presented the Serbia 2030 national strategy. It is divided into 11 points, one of which is energy.

“In the period from 2028 to 2035, we will invest at least EUR 14.4 billion in major energy projects, and that won’t be enough. We will need more,” Vučić said.

Vučić: We will provide an additional 1 GW of electricity production from gas

He explained that EUR 6.5 billion would be invested in production capacities, particularly in gas power plants. They provide stable and flexible production, Vučić stressed. He revealed that EUR 940 million is envisaged for the segment.

“We will provide an additional 1 GW of electricity production from gas, and we will also encourage private initiative in this sector,” Vučić stressed.

Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović explained that 30% of all planned investments until 2035 are for energy. “We must start the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Serbia before 2035,” she underscored.

Đedović Handanović: EUR 3 billion needed for the nuclear power plant

She stressed that EUR 3 billion is required for the project.

“We must secure the funds, because it is clean energy, secure energy, baseload energy. The whole world is striving to triple the level of nuclear energy by 2050. If we work responsibly and dedicatedly, we can have a capacity of 1,000 MW, 1,200 MW, or 1,650 MW, depending on the technology we decide on, immediately after 2040. Those decisions are yet to be made,” Đedović Handanović pointed out.

She recalled that a national institution for the development of the nuclear program is being established. According to the minister, human resources will be enhanced together with investment in education and new engineers, while Serbian experts will be returning from abroad.

Serbia could have 1,500 MW of new state-owned electricity generation capacities by 2030

Of note, she recently said that Serbia plans to complete the second phase of its nuclear program by 2032.

In addition, the minister pointed out that the president spoke of plans for pumped storage hydropower plants (Bistrica and Đerdap 3), but also gas power plants in Niš, Novi Sad, and Kragujevac, where she said is the largest data center in this part of Europe.

Separately, she told RTS that by 2030, Serbia could have about 1,500 MW of new state-owned electricity generation capacities, which is about 20% of the current level.

EUR 2.4 billion will be invested in the electricity grid

Electricity must be delivered to citizens without interruptions, which currently occur during weather disasters, Đedović Handanović underscored. For this reason, EUR 2.4 billion will have to be invested in the electricity grid, she added.

The grid hasn’t been renewed since the 1970s and 1980s, according to the minister. It is necessary to reconstruct 13,000 kilometers of the grid, 4,000 substations, and 1,000 kilometers of transmission lines, she explained.

1,000 kilometers of gas pipelines will also be built

Đedović Handanović pointed out that 1,000 kilometers of gas pipelines would be built, adding that 60% of the existing network is more than 40 years old.

She said a new oil pipeline with Hungary would be built, alongside 100 kilometers of fuel pipelines through Serbia. These pipelines will enable faster and more secure transport of petroleum products and eliminate reliance on Danube water levels and rail, the minister added.

Energy is very important for national security because the entire world is facing challenges regarding the provision of energy resources and the development of new technologies, Đedović Handanović concluded.