BELGRADE, July 10. /TASS/. Serbia has started preparations for a peaceful national nuclear program, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said at the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences.
"By amending its law on energy, Serbia opened the path towards developing peaceful use of nuclear energy. We need to start thinking strategically in terms of energy security. This is impossible without properly trained personnel. We have a solid foundation, but we want to further reinforce it, and we view the Vinca Institute as a key part of that foundation for our country’s nuclear program. The Ministry of Mining and Energy, which will pursue the nuclear program on behalf of the government, is working to create a dedicated nuclear energy sector," the Vecernje novosti newspaper quoted her as saying.
Vinca Institute Director Slavko Dimovic said his institute wants to become the driving force behind Serbia’s peaceful nuclear program from the scientific and educational point of view.
"Our ambition is to become the regional educational facility in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. We have also formed an expert commission, bringing together specialists from the institute and beyond, who represent various fields related to nuclear power generation. They will support the government in the future development of its nuclear energy program," Dimovic said.
In turn, the minister of mining and energy added that Serbia is about to complete its preliminary technical study on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which she described as "the first step in the nuclear program." The document will contain market studies and technical solutions, and will serve as a basis "for further decisions."
In May 2025, Russia’s Rosatom state-run nuclear corporation presented its modern technologies in Serbia, saying that it is ready to offer a broad range of solutions aimed at strengthening the country’s energy security. The presentation included compact nuclear power plants on the basis of RITM-200 integrated pressurized water reactors, as well as other more powerful Generation III+ reactor options.
Earlier, Chief Executive Officer of the corporation Alexey Likhachev said the latest talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic give a start to discussions on the possibility of building nuclear power plants in Serbia. He added that "nuclear energy is on the official agenda of the Russian-Serbian relations.".