Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has signed two memorandums of cooperation (MOC) in the field of nuclear energy and hydrogen with Serbia’s Ministry of Energy & Mining (MRI – Ministarstvo Rudarstva i Energetike for mutual cooperation in the nuclear and hydrogen fields. The signing ceremony was held during the Korea-Serbia Strategic Energy Development Forum held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belgrade, organised by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
The nuclear MOC will support MRI in the development and training of personnel in Serbia in the field of nuclear technologies and to facilitate the exchange of technical information and expertise between the two parties, MRI said in a statement. The second MOC aims to enable joint work on assessing the potential for the development of green hydrogen pilot projects in Serbia through technical exchange and support for human resource development.
Under the nuclear MOC, KHNP will provide support in the development of a training programme for personnel in MRI and other state institutions, faculties and companies, which would cover various aspects of nuclear technologies, safety and the regulatory framework. The establishment of a mechanism for the regular exchange of technical information, research results and best practices in the field of nuclear energy was also envisaged.
The MOCs were signed by the MRI State Secretary, Sonja Vlahovic, and KHNP CEO Whang Joo-ho. Vlahovic noted that Serbia was considering nuclear energy as a potential energy source, which would contribute to ensuring energy security during the transition to clean energy sources. “It is very important for us to develop cooperation with countries and companies that are leaders in the world in the field of nuclear technologies, to exchange knowledge and experience and to invest in the development of our experts. We are also very interested in the opportunities offered by hydrogen technologies and together with partners from South Korea we will consider potential pilot projects,” she said.
Whang Joo-ho emphasised that the cooperation would enable sustainable growth for Serbia and KHNP. “Through this cooperation, we will continue to advance our energy partnership with the Serbian government … and create broad opportunities for future collaboration with Serbia in the field of clean energy,” he said in a press release.
As part of the Korean-Serbian Forum for Strategic Energy Development, a seminar was held at which MRI representatives presented the main goals and planned activities of the Energy Development Strategy of Serbia until 2040. The forum was also attended by representatives of Hyundai Engineering in Serbia and other Serbian energy companies.
Serbia, which seeks energy independence and an end to the use of fossil fuels, has lifted a moratorium on the construction of NPPs. Serbia’s Parliament in November 2024 adopted amendments to the Energy Law ending the ban, introduced in the former Yugoslavia in 1989, three years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Authorities then suspended the nuclear programme and shut down the only research reactor in Belgrade.
The amendments to the Energy Law ensure greater energy security for Serbia in its transition to clean energy, harmonise the local regulatory framework with the EU regulatory framework, and develop the functioning of the energy system. Part of the law refers to Serbia’s Nuclear Energy Development Programme, which comprises three phases: a feasibility study, programme development, and implementation.
The lifting of the moratorium followed a national consultation process, which addressed the legislative and technical issues needed to adapt the regulatory framework for this transition.
In July 2024, five Serbian ministries and 20 academic institutions and state energy companies signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy development as part of a panel discussion entitled Nuclear energy from the past to the future, which MRI described as “beginning of the public debate” on using nuclear energy in Serbia. The previous month, MRI had called for preparation of a preliminary technical study to consider the peaceful application of nuclear energy in Serbia. In August, MRI awarded a contract for a preliminary technical study of the potential use of civil nuclear power in Serbia to Electricité de France (EDF) and French engineering consultancy Egis Industries.
In March 2024, President Aleksandar Vučić, in a speech to an International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear energy summit in Brussels, had said Serbia has “three problems”, one of which is a lack of know-how on nuclear energy, the second is money and the third, public opinion. Vučić subsequently commented that Serbia needs four small modular reactors, as the country will use four times more energy by 2050. He said Serbia has neither the knowledge nor the money for classical NPPs.
MRI hopes that the agreement with KHNP will lay the foundation for long-term cooperation, including nuclear power development programmes, manpower training and operation, and hopes it will provide momentum for the growth of Serbia’s clean energy industry.
