Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom said that it has signed an agreement to participate in the construction of a Centre for Nuclear Technologies in Serbia, as well as an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture with the Serbian Government that will implement the project.
Under these agreements, the Center for Nuclear Medicine based on a cyclotron complex and facilities for the production of radiopharmaceuticals will be built in Serbia in the next three years.
Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of Innovation and Technological Development Nenad Popovic said that this is a historic day in the relations between Serbia and Russia, because the mentioned agreements return Serbia to the map of European countries that have capacity for scientific research in the field of nuclear technologies.
Last month, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is currently considering the possibility of building its own nuclear power plant, adding that there were negotiations with Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom on this matter. However, he believes that the country would have problems with project’s financing. He said that the construction of a nuclear power plant would cost up to 10 billion euros, while Serbia has previously decided to keep its public debt below 60 % of its GDP at all times.
Earlier in November, President Vucic reiterated the country’s intentions to take part in the construction of nuclear power plants in neighboring countries, adding that the possibility of installation of small modular reactors (SMR) in Serbia is also being considered. He said that he spoke with Hungarian President Viktor Orban about the investment in the project for the expansion of Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant Paks. According to him, Serbia is prepared to purchase 15 % stake in the project and will pay good money for it. The negotiations are still at the beginning because the two new reactors at NPP Paks are expected to come online in 2035. He also reminded that there were negotiations with former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Serbia’s participation in the project for the construction of NPP Belene.
