The Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy has awarded a contract to the French state energy company EDF and engineering firm Egis Industries to conduct a preliminary technical study on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Following last month’s agreement between Serbia and EDF to assess the potential for developing a civil nuclear program, the French state energy company and engineering firm Egis Industries won the tender for the country’s first study.
In August, the government in Belgrade also adopted amendments to the Energy Law to lift the moratorium on building nuclear power plants that had been in place since 1989. Additionally, the Ministry of Mining and Energy issued a public procurement order in June, delayed the deadline by two weeks, and opened bids on 2 August, as shown in the document.
EDF and Egis received the highest score, and their bid closely matched the government’s estimate of €120,000 excluding VAT.
The preliminary technical study aims to present the available technologies for using nuclear energy. The contractors are also tasked with recommending solutions.
The analysis is expected to cover conventional Generation 3+ nuclear power plants, as well as more advanced technologies such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Generation 4 reactors will not be included, according to the project brief.