SOUTH EASTER EUROPE: French giant EdF will advise the Government of Serbia on the country’s future nuclear program after winning a tender. A Romanian company also participated
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The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Serbia awarded a contract to the French state company EdF and the engineering company Egis Industries for the preliminary technical study on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, according to specialized media.
French state-owned energy giant EdF and engineering firm Egis Industries have won a tender for the first study on the use of nuclear energy in Serbia. The government in Belgrade also passed amendments to the Energy Law in August aimed at lifting a 1989 moratorium on the ban on building nuclear power plants.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy issued the public procurement order for this study in June. The institution postponed the deadline by two weeks and opened the bids on August 2, the document cited by the press states. After evaluating the bids, EdF and Egis won the most points. Their offer was almost equal to the Government’s estimate, at 120,000 euros, without VAT.
The preliminary technical study required by the Serbian Government aims to present the available technologies, and the companies must also recommend the solutions. The review must cover conventional, generation 3+ nuclear power plants as well as more advanced technologies such as small modular reactors, newer fourth generation reactors are not considered.
The consultant will be tasked with calculating costs, detailing the supply chain and evaluating potential project partners.
Eight other companies and/or consortia participated in the auction, and among them was a consulting company from Romania, Romcapital Invest, associated with a company from the Czech Republic. Here is the list:
- China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas;
- Jooho Whang – Powertos (offer declared void);
- Nikola Tesla Institute of Electrical Engineering – Enconet Consulting;
- Environ – GO2Power;
- Sargent & Lundy;
- Tenet Advisors – JSC KEPT;
- NAC International – MRC Arge Enerji Mühendisliği, Kontrol ve Test Hizmetleri;
- SC Romcapital Invest – UJV REŽ – EKS.u SMR.
Since 1989, a moratorium has been in force in Serbia in which there was a ban on the construction of nuclear power plants and facilities for the production of nuclear fuel and the processing of spent nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. But the country’s leadership decided to consider the possibility of installing one or more reactors, this idea being supported even by the country’s president, Aleksandar Vučić. According to him, a fourfold increase in the demand for electricity in Serbia is estimated, and the only solution to cover it would be the construction of nuclear units.
