Serbia to soon finish study on use of nuclear energy – minister

The preliminary study on the use of nuclear energy in Serbia should be completed by the end of the second quarter, according to Dubravka Đedović Handanović, the Minister of Mining and Energy.

A preliminary technical study for considering the peaceful use of nuclear energy is being prepared by French state-owned energy utility EDF and engineering company Egis Industries. The two companies won a tender organized by the Ministry of Mining and Energy.

Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović told public broadcaster RTS that the study focuses on three aspects. The first one is developing a roadmap for the implementation of 19 institutional and infrastructural steps for a potential nuclear program.

Experts from Serbia’s TSO EMS are involved in the preparation of the study

The roadmap, in her words, must be in line with the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The second topic is an analysis of available technologies, including conventional nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs), and the third is to consider how a nuclear plant, depending on capacity, could be integrated into the country’s energy system.

Experts from Serbia’s transmission system operator Elektromreža Srbije are providing help in the third part, she noted.

Serbia would need to choose a partner for the development of a nuclear power project

According to Đedović Handanović, SMRs are a technology under development for cheaper facilities, which require less time to be built than conventional reactors.

“It is up to us to look at the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies, of which one is under development and the other is proven in the market, and say what we want to go with. Of course, if all the preconditions are met. Also, finally, with whom, as all the main developers of the technologies are certain companies from different parts of the world,” she stressed.

Baseload energy is crucial for the stability of the energy system

The minister pointed out that the IAEA prescribes clear steps each country must fulfill if it is considering the development of a nuclear program. It means no country can do anything on its own, she added.

“All those institutional and infrastructural prerequisites have to be checked, approved, verified, and ultimately monitored by the IAEA,” Đedović Handanović underlined.

Speaking about the long-term strategy, she recalled that baseload energy is crucial to secure the stability of the energy system. In Serbia it is currently provided from coal and natural gas, while nuclear plants can also play the role.

Natural gas, in her words, will serve as a transitional fuel for baseload energy for another 20-30 years, so it is necessary to find a long-term solution. Nuclear energy is one of the options, but it requires a lot of experience, time, and investment, Đedović Handanović noted.