The majority in the Serbian cabinet supports the country’s participation in Bulgaria’s Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project, according to the Serbian newspaper “Vecherne Novosti.”

The article reminds that over the weekend Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, stated Serbia’s inclusion has been agreed on during his meeting with Serbian President, Boris Tadic.

The newspaper cites an unnamed source from the cabinet saying the decision about Serbia partaking in the construction of the NPP in the Danube town of Belene will be made at the end of September, beginning of October when Bulgaria will make an official offer involving concrete percentage shares and the amount of the Serbian investment.

The article further notes that Borisov had said Bulgaria must first find a strategic European investor and then talk numbers with Serbia.

The law banning the construction of NPPs in Serbia is effective until 2015, but it does not prohibit participation in foreign ones. When the ban expires, Serbia will need another 15 years to build a nuclear plant, if it decides to do so, the author of the article points out.

The Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy, Petar Skundric, had offered support to the country’s inclusion in the project, the publication reminds, quoting Skundric saying that with the energy from Belene and after building several Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) inside the country, Serbia can become one of the leaders in energy production and supply in Europe.

“Vecherne Novosti” further writes that during his trip to China, Skundric had offered Beijing partnership for Belene, but an official response is yet to be received. Negotiations with China can begin only after the Serbian cabinet makes a firm commitment to Bulgaria’s NPP.

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