Apparently, Serbia definitely wants and it needs a nuclear power plant.
Experts also know how much its capacities should be, and how it could satisfy Serbia’s needs for electricity in the medium and long term, which will undoubtedly grow. The fact is that the construction of a nuclear power plant is by no means a cheap, let alone a quick undertaking.
We are witnesses that factories and complex business and residential complexes can be built in less than a year. Citizens often think that the construction of one nuclear power plant would not take much longer, but it is in fact a project of completely “other dimensions”. Apart from the fact that it costs billions of euros, it is a very complex story that not everyone can do.
– And Serbia could not build it on its own. And even if others built it, it would take 10 years. Yes, we can participate in the construction, but few countries have the knowledge for such investments. The Russians and Americans do it best, and so can the French, Germans, South Korea and Japan. However, it should be said that we have excellent engineers and that those with training in the world for several years would also be ready – says energy efficiency expert Miloš Zdravković, pointing out the complexity of the endeavor.
Today, our thermal power plants provide us with 70 to 72 percent of the electricity we consume. Together with hydro and other sources, we make about 7.9 gigawatts of installed power. And that turns out to be enough, but having in mind the natural process that will increase the need for electricity in the future, the new alternative source is more than important.
– In order not to worry, Serbia needs another 700 megawatts, and in the long run, having in mind that every house will have a computer and that consumption will grow at similar and other levels, we need another 700. And that could bring us one reactor from 1.25 gigawatts. It would cover Serbia’s needs for electricity in the next 30 to 40 years – says Zdravkovic.
When asked how much such a reactor would cost Serbia, he answered that the calculation is quite clear.
– The contract announced between the Russian company and Turkey regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant with 4 reactors, with a capacity of 1.25 gigawatts, is 19 billion euros. If we build with one, then divide that amount by four and you get the price – he explains.
For the sake of comparison, if we were to build a nuclear power plant like the Slovenian “Krško”, that would not be enough for us, because it has one reactor with a capacity of 770 megawatts, and we need twice as many.
In our environment, nuclear power plants also exist in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and when we talk about their benefits, there are several. In the first place, they are economic, but there is no need to dispute strategic, scientific-developmental and environmental ones. When we talk about economic ones, it should be said that the production of electricity from nuclear power plants is the cheapest. It is much cheaper than production in thermal power plants, and even more than production in hydropower plants.
– Their opponents cite accidents, primarily in Chernobyl, but these are unjustified fears. Without them, in the future, Serbia simply cannot count on a stable and efficient energy system – concludes Zdravković.
Europe got the biggest nuclear power plant in June
Finland has received a permit to operate the fifth nuclear reactor these days. It will be the largest reactor in Europe. It would be called “Olkiluoto 3” and it would start producing electricity in June 2022. With a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, it would provide Finland with as much as 15 percent of total electricity consumption.
This reactor was supposed to be completed in 2009 with a total cost of 3.2 billion euros. Thirteen years later, the final construction costs are estimated at 8.5 billion euros, Srbija Danas reports.
