Country wants to speed up reactor project with decision in 2027
Building a second unit at the existing Krško nuclear power station would cost €11bn ($11.9bn) should Slovenia decide to go ahead with the largest of several possible units under consideration, according to prime minister Robert Golob.
Golob told parliament that the price estimate corresponds to the price of the last nuclear power station to come online in Europe, the 1,600 MW Olkiluoto-3 EPR supplied by France for Finland.
He said Slovenia is determined to speed up the development of a second nuclear power reactor at Krško with commercial operation planned by 2047.
Golob told parliament that the costs and other details of the project would be known before the final decision was taken. “Then a referendum will be held to seek the broadest possible national consensus for constructing this unit,” he added.
“The final decision by the timeline of [Krško owner] Gen Energija will be made in 2027” with a realistic completion date of 2047, he said.
Golob called for legislation aimed at streamlining the planning and construction process. He said that without these measures, the unit would not be completed in time to meet anticipated demand.
Golob acknowledged that Slovenia cannot independently afford to build Krško-2 unless permitting and construction processes are speeded up. He said investors from neighbouring countries have shown interest in participating in funding the project.
In August, a task force will be established to draft legislative changes to help with project siting and a clear financial structure.
A single PWR at Krško, which was built in cooperation with US company Westinghouse, began commercial operation in 1983 with an original lifetime of 40 years. The plant is co-owned in equal shares by the governments of Slovenia and neighbouring Croatia.
Slovenia has said about 16% of Croatia’s electrical energy consumption is covered by Krško. The figure for Slovenia is 20%. The plant produces about 5.5 TWh of electricity a year.
In January 2023, Slovenian authorities gave a 20-year operating lifetime extension to Krško, meaning the reactor unit could operate until 2043, a total of 60 years.
