photo: danilo mijatoviฤ / tanjugCOOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY: Minister ฤedovic Handanoviฤ with the delegation of the French company EDF in March 2026.
Even if Serbia chose the technology and provided financing, the question of the location of the future nuclear plant would remain: complex analyzes of geological and seismic characteristics, availability of cooling water, connection to the power grid, environmental impact, nuclear safety. To that extent, it is not only a technical but also a political question: which local community would be ready to accept a small atomic reactor
After more than three decades of construction ban nuclear power plants, Serbia in November 2024, with amendments to the Law on energetic, lifted that ban and is reconsidering the possibility of producing electricity from nuclear sources. In the last two years, agreements on international cooperation were signed, a preliminary study was made and steps were announced that could lead the country to its first nuclear power plant around 2040 or later. However, the state has not yet chosen the technology, location, or financing model. In this context, small modular reactors are increasingly being talked about as a possible alternative to large nuclear power plants. However, although their advantages are often highlighted, widespread commercial application has not yet taken root.
ROUTE MAP AND VARIOUS OFFERS
In March 2026, the Preliminary Technical Study on the Peacetime Use of Nuclear Energy was presented, prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and a consortium of French companies, led by the French Electric Power Company (EDF). It contains a road map that foresees the activities needed to establish a nuclear program, in accordance with the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and covers three phases and 19 infrastructure issues. According to the announcements of the Ministry, by the middle of 2027, the studies necessary for making a decision on the further development of the program should be completed. The goal is for Serbia to be ready for technology selection and construction contracting by 2032, while it could get the power plant around 2040 or later.
So far, the most concrete cooperation has been achieved with France. The first memorandum with EDF was signed in April 2024, and the French companies then prepared the aforementioned preliminary technical study. At the end of July 2026, Serbia signed a new agreement with EDF and the French Development Agency, which provided a grant of 500.000 euros to strengthen professional and organizational capacities. Three more studies with EDF have been announced, while cooperation with other international companies is being considered for the rest.
Serbia is also talking with Russia, and the Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka ฤedoviฤ Handanoviฤ, met in February 2026 with the general director of Rosatom, Aleksej Likhaฤov. The meeting discussed the exchange of knowledge and support in the preparatory phase for the development of the nuclear project. The minister stated that, by the time Serbia is ready to choose the technology, small modular reactors will probably be more developed than today and that is why they will also be considered as a possibility.
In addition to France and Russia, China also entered the talks. During June 2026, former president Aleksandar Vuฤiฤ announced that during his visit to China, he received an offer for the construction of a small modular reactor. According to him, the offer includes a favorable price, short construction deadlines and training of local experts. However, the details of the Chinese offer have not been made public. It is not known what type of reactor it is, how much it would cost, or how it would be financed. Physicist and science journalist Slobodan Bubnjeviฤ for "Vreme" assesses that the choice of China as a partner for the purchase of a nuclear reactor is rather unusual. He points out that the Chinese, despite intensive construction at home, are still not recognized as exporters of this technology, like France, the USA or Russia. Bubnjeviฤ reminds that Pakistan is the main and most important partner for Beijing, as well as that Chinese technology itself relies heavily on French experience today, since it was the French who built reactors in China for years.
HOW SMALL REACTORS ARE REALLY DEVELOPED
Small modular reactors are rated up to 300 megawatts per module, while large conventional reactors often have ratings of 1000 megawatts or more. Their advantage should be the possibility of factory production of standardized components, which are then delivered to the site. It is expected that such an approach could shorten construction and reduce costs. However, it is not a single technology, but different constructions that differ in fuel, cooling method and safety systems. Bubnjeviฤ points out that modular reactors have become popular as a possible solution to energy problems, despite the very limited experience of their commercial use. He asks why Serbia, which is just developing its nuclear program, would immediately opt for technology that the world is just getting to know, instead of conventional reactors that have been in use for decades.
The domestic power system is still heavily reliant on coal, and future development requires finding sources that could provide stable electricity production with less greenhouse gas emissions. Bubnjeviฤ for "Vreme" points out that small modular reactors, although they are presented as a possible replacement for thermal power plants, individually do not have the capacity to replace large production systems like the "Nikola Tesla" Thermal Power Plant and draws attention to the original purpose of these plants. "Modular reactors are particularly suitable for remote and hard-to-reach areas, where the construction of large nuclear power plants is not practical. Serbia, however, already has a developed transport and electric power infrastructure, so the question arises as to what concrete advantages this technology would bring in our conditions", explains Bubnjeviฤ.
LACK OF DOMESTIC ENGINEERS
One of the arguments most often put forward in favor of modular reactors is the possibility of cheaper construction. However, a smaller reactor does not automatically mean cheaper electricity. Although an individual plant may require a smaller initial investment, production costs per megawatt-hour depend on many more factors. Among other things, the cost of production per megawatt-hour is significantly more expensive than that of renewable energy sources. Their cost-effectiveness is also not helped by the lack of economies of scale: to reduce costs, it is necessary to serially produce and build a larger number of the same units. According to an analysis by the International Energy Agency from January 2025, the costs of modular reactors could be significantly reduced in the coming decades, but this would depend on a large number of orders, the development of production capacities and the successful implementation of the first projects. Therefore, it is not enough for Serbia to know the cost of building one reactor. Equally important is how much it would cost to maintain, fuel, finance the project and, finally, the electricity produced. It is also important that Serbia, after decades of banning the construction of nuclear power plants, has no continuous experience in the development of commercial nuclear energy. Bubnjeviฤ points out that the lack of nuclear engineers and other experts is one of the biggest problems facing the country. He emphasizes the importance of cooperation between scientific institutions, universities and the state, because without domestic expertise, Serbia would not be able to independently evaluate the technologies offered by international partners and especially points to the need to educate new generations of experts, but also to the importance of research infrastructure that would enable their development.
LOCATION
Even if Serbia chose the technology and secured the financing, the question of the location of the future nuclear facility would remain. Site selection requires complex analyzes of geological and seismic characteristics, availability of cooling water, connection to the power grid, environmental impact and nuclear safety. But the choice of location is not only a technical matter. Bubnjeviฤ warns of the social and political sensitivity of such a decision. Even if the state concludes that the nuclear power plant is energetically justified, the question remains which local community would be ready to accept it. Even small modular reactors do not eliminate the need for safety analyses, emergency planning and radioactive waste management. Therefore, the decision on nuclear energy cannot be limited to discussions between the state and the companies that offer the technology.
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