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Nuclear facility: Russia and Serbia have begun negotiations on construction of nuclear power plant

17 September 2025 12:33 (UTC +04:00)

The Serbian authorities and Rosatom have begun a substantive dialogue on the nuclear power plant construction project, Serbian Ambassador to Moscow Momcilo Babic told Izvestia, APA reports, citing Izvestiya.

According to him, progress on this issue can be achieved in the coming years. Earlier, the Serbian parliament lifted the moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants, because by 2050, energy consumption in the country will increase fourfold. Belgrade is currently choosing a partner for this project, with South Korea, China and France among the options besides Russia. According to analysts, the Russian proposal is the most profitable, since it includes all segments of nuclear energy. The terms and conditions of construction of Serbia's first nuclear power plant are described in the Izvestia article.

Belgrade and Moscow are discussing the construction of a nuclear power plant

Serbia and Rosatom have begun negotiations on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic, Serbian Ambassador to Moscow Momcilo Babic told Izvestia. According to him, this issue can be resolved in the coming years.

— We are seriously talking with Rosatom. I think there is no better company in the world to build a nuclear power plant. I am sure that there will be progress in the coming years, because we need electricity. We will do it anyway," Momcilo Babic told Izvestia.

Izvestia sent a request to the press service of the Rosatom State Corporation.

In November 2024, the Serbian parliament lifted the ban on the construction of nuclear power plants, which had been in effect since 1989. It was introduced after the Chernobyl accident. Now the position has changed due to the fact that electricity consumption in the country is expected to increase fourfold by 2050. This is also a consequence of the active growth of the Serbian economy: in 2023, the country's GDP increased by 3.8%, in 2024 — 3.9%.

Serbia also needs nuclear energy against the background of attempts to cut it off from Russian oil and gas. The EU plans to completely abandon energy supplies from Russia by 2028. An embargo on the shipping of Russian oil has been in effect since December 2022. Currently, coal, oil and gas account for more than 85% of the Balkan republic's energy supply. Therefore, nuclear generation is an affordable way to ensure the country's energy security.

In July, Belgrade began developing a national program for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic said.

Serbia intends to build a nuclear power plant and is actively looking for a contractor for this project. Among the options: Russia, South Korea, France and China. In September 2025, the Serbian government signed two memorandums of understanding with the South Korean company KHNP on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. This company has already won a tender for the reconstruction of the Chernavode NPP power unit in Romania.

Last year, the Serbian Ministry of Energy also hired the French company EDF to conduct a study on the potential use of nuclear generation. Although France has extensive experience in the nuclear field, Paris has not built new nuclear power plants for a long time, said Serbian Energy Minister Djedovic-Handanovic.