Djedovic Handanovic: Nuclear Studies Ready by Mid-2027
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic and AFD Director General Kristof Lekartje discussed Serbia's nuclear program: first phase studies should be finished by mid-2027.
All studies for the first phase of Serbia’s nuclear program should be finished by mid-2027. That is what Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic announced after a meeting with Kristof Lekartje, Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD), held on September 7 in Belgrade.
The Ministry released a statement on the meeting the same evening. According to the minister, Serbia is currently in the first phase of the program, focused on building institutional and expert capacity and mapping out the groundwork for future decisions, while AFD is supporting a study on developing the human resources the nuclear program will need.
“The goal is for these, along with the other studies planned under the first phase of the nuclear program’s development, to be finished by the middle of next year,” Djedovic Handanovic said.
The minister added that the nuclear program is not only a matter of technology and building a power plant, but above all of the long term development of the experts and institutions needed to plan, regulate, oversee and safely manage such a complex system.
Pancevo Substation, the First of Its Kind in the Balkans
Beyond the nuclear program, the meeting also covered the digitalization of the power grid. Elektromreza Srbije (EMS), Serbia’s power grid operator, is working with AFD on a project to modernize and digitalize the Pancevo substation, modeled on two substations already digitalized in France. Once complete, it will be the first substation of its kind in the Balkans.
AFD and the Serbian ministry also agreed to produce analyses of the impact of different decarbonization scenarios, looking ahead to 2050. These are meant to show how various directions of the energy transition affect supply security, economic growth, job creation and the investment needs of the energy sector.
According to the statement, Lekartje confirmed AFD’s commitment to supporting Serbia in securing its energy security, noting that many European countries face similar energy challenges. He said France’s experience building and managing low carbon capacity could help Serbia meet its energy transition goals.
The meeting was also attended by Dusan Zivkovic, general director of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS); Jelena Matejic, general director of Elektromreza Srbije (EMS); and Florans Ferari, the French ambassador to Serbia.
