Djedovic: Serbia lacks know-how, experience required for nuclear power plants

BELGRADE - Many preconditions must be met before Serbia can even consider nuclear power as an energy source, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic said on Thursday.

Addressing a panel on small modular nuclear reactors at an online Srbatom conference on nuclear security, Djedovic said Serbia currently lacked the know-how, experience and staff required for nuclear power plants.

She said that, according to information from the UK, the modular nuclear reactor technology could become available in 2029 or 2030.

Serbia would need 8-10 years to train people who would operate that technology, she said, noting that a moratorium on nuclear power plants had been in place in Serbia for over 20 years now.

"Even though we do not have that power, we are aware that the technology has become quite advanced. Besides gas, nuclear power is an alternative to coal-generated power because it helps reduce harmful gas emissions. But it also carries risks, above all, in terms of nuclear waste," she said.