Serbia, Slovenia Announce Collaboration in Nuclear Energy

mre.gov.rs

 Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Feb. 7 that she has spoken with Slovenian Ambassador to Serbia Damjan Bergant on possible collaboration in the area of nuclear energy.

Considering that Slovenia has been operating its Krsko Nuclear Power Plant for decades and that the plant covers over a third of the country’s energy needs, Djedovic Handanovic said, she and Bergant “talked about collaboration between regulatory, scientific and education institutions.” This would involve “exchanging experiences” and Serbian experts visiting Slovenia, which “has been successfully running a nuclear program for decades and is considering expanding its capacities,” the minister said in a statement released by her ministry.

Djedovic Handanovic went on to say that Serbia has recognized nuclear energy as a potential long-term solution to decarbonizing its energy sector and that the country’s moratorium on nuclear plant construction was ended in late 2024.

“Using nuclear energy is envisaged as one option within the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, and in the new Energy Sector Development Strategy, where we’ve considered the possibility of introducing nuclear power plants into Serbia’s electric power system after the year 2040. In the second quarter of this year, a preliminary study on the possibility of peacetime nuclear energy use in the country will be completed, its goal to present available technology and recommend solutions suitable for Serbia. After that, we can begin planning our next steps, following the International Atomic Energy Agency’s guidelines,” the minister explained.

For his part, Ambassador Bergant expressed Slovenia’s decision to commence and develop long-term institutional cooperation with Serbia in the area of nuclear energy.

“The Jozef Stefan Institute is interested in cooperating with the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Science,” as are all other Slovenian institutions that can support the development of a nuclear program in Serbia, he said.