What it is
Preparing a nuclear programme is the first stage in which a state determines whether and under what conditions it can use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The Ministry of Mining and Energy links this work to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approach: studies are needed on regulation, safety, the environment, the grid, staffing and supply chains. France's EDF has already completed a preliminary technical study; on 13 July the ministry said EDF was to prepare four further studies, while 14 more would be considered with other companies.
Why it became important
The authorities explain their interest in nuclear energy by the need for stable baseload power and the decarbonisation of the energy sector. After the ban on building nuclear power plants was repealed, nuclear energy again became a subject of state assessment. The agreement with EDF and the French Development Agency (AFD), reported by 021 on 29 July, includes a €500,000 AFD grant for studies and workforce development. The partnership itself is not authorisation to build a plant.
Current status
As of 31 July 2026, the programme remains in its first, preparatory phase. The ministry says it aims to complete that phase by mid-2027; the deadline concerns studies and preparation, not commissioning a nuclear plant. In a July statement, Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović described starting construction by 2035 as a government goal, while 021 reported her assessment that a first plant might enter service only after 2040. These are stated targets and possible timeframes, not an approved project schedule.
Why it matters
Decisions in this phase will determine whether a nuclear-plant project exists at all and on what terms. For residents and businesses, the issue is not only future electricity capacity: it will require rules for independent regulation and safety, environmental assessment, specialist training, testing the grid's capacity and a financing model. While those questions are still being worked through, calling the process “nuclear-plant construction” confuses preparation with a decision that has not yet been made.
The next open question
The key next milestone is completion of phase one, which the ministry plans for mid-2027. That should clarify which studies are complete, what legal and institutional steps remain, and whether the state will make a separate decision on technology, site, financing and construction. Until those documents are published, the 2035 and “after 2040” dates should be read as government goals and possible scenarios.