THE FIRST PHASE OF NUCLEAR PROGRAM BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR

BELGRADE, JULY 13 /SRNA/ - The first phase of Serbia's nuclear program should be completed by the middle of next year, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović said.

"By 2032, we expect to be ready, in institutional, regulatory and professional terms, to select the technology and begin the construction process by 2035," Handanović said at the opening of a workshop on the role and responsibilities of the National Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization /NEPIO/.

She said that Serbia is responsibly and gradually developing its nuclear program, with support from and in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Serbia said.

"We have a generational opportunity that we must not miss to leave behind something of great value that will allow Serbia to develop while becoming more energy secure," Handanović said.

She pointed out that the number of countries around the world launching or considering the development of new nuclear programs is growing, and welcomed the initiative of the "Vinča" Institute of Nuclear Sciences and the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad to launch a master's program for the education of future nuclear engineers.