Nuclear waste from Vinca Institute to be removed by end of year

(Bozidar Djelic)

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic said yesterday that nuclear waste would be removed from the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Science by the end of the year, it is announced on the Government's website.

Djelic, who is heading a Serbian delegation at the 54th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, said that in the talks with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Serbia’s key partners – Europe, Russia and the United States, it was agreed that the project of nuclear decommission was making a good progress.

Djelic told Tanjug news agency that that nuclear decommissioning in the Vinca Institute was a very important goal for Serbia with the achievement of which a very serious problem existing for 26 years would be resolved. The scientific reactor in Vinca was put out of operation in 1984 and since then nuclear fuel has been waiting for removal.

- Upon the completion of this task, an international event will be held in Serbia - he said and added that Serbia had been evaluated as the most positive example of international diplomacy in the field of nuclear safety.

Serbia, which ratified the Additional protocol for control of nuclear facilities, has received support for obtaining funds from IAEA for the research of use of nuclear energy in medicine, where we identified the issue of cancer treatment as one of the priorities, the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

Djelic today also met with US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and thanked him on US support to Serbia in the relocation of nuclear fuel.

Djelic and Chu reached an agreement on the next meeting in Washington focusing on the two countries’ cooperation in the field of sustainable energy, which is an area which US President Barack Obama defined as a key research priority for America in the 21st century.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo prosvete Republike Srbije

Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča Beograd

IAEA Austria