The analysis will provide clarity on the necessary technical, security, personnel and market requirements, and will be followed by a comprehensive report summarising the findings and proposing a national position on nuclear energy, Djedovic Handanovic said in a press release on Thursday, after the first meeting of the interdepartmental working group assessing the case for nuclear energy development.
The second phase will start shortly after and will include preparations for the construction of a nuclear power plant. This entire initial preparatory process would last about four years, Djedovic Handanovic said.
The studies within the initial phase will be conducted by French state-owned energy firm Electricite de France (EDF) with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD), in line with an intergovernmental agreement between Serbia and France.
"We will rely on the EDF, but as for the technology that will be used, the decision has not yet been made," Djedovic Handanovic said, adding that the potential for involving local industry in the introduction of the nuclear energy programme will also be analysed.
After reversing a ban on the construction of nuclear power plants in November 2024, Serbia last year received the results of the preliminary technical study of the potential use of nuclear power in the country. The study showed that there is a possibility of integrating nuclear energy into Serbia's existing transmission system over the next 15-20 years, among others.
Serbia has so far signed several memorandums and cooperation agreements with South Korea, France, the United States and Russia to exchange knowledge and experience in nuclear energy, and also plans to cooperate with the UAE's Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) in the process.
The interdepartmental expert working group, which held its first meeting on Thursday, includes representatives of the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, the Nikola Tesla Institute of Electrical Engineering, Serbian Nuclear Society, public enterprise Nuclear Facilities of Serbia, Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM), state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), power grid operator Elektromreza Srbije (EMS), as well as officials from the ministries of science, environmental protection, education, defence, end energy.
The working group and a unit within the energy ministry in charge of the preparation and implementation of the nuclear energy programme will in the coming weeks form a National Nuclear Energy Programme Implementation Body.
(SeeNews, February 20¸2026)