Deep borehole disposal offers a “safe, cost-effective solution” for disposing of spent fuel from the Slovenia Triga II research reactor, which is set for shutdown and decommissioning beginning in 2043, a preliminary study commissioned by the Slovenian Radioactive Waste Management Organisation (Arao) in partnership with Deep Isolation has found.

The study concludes that of the options studied, the most cost-effective approach would be to build one deep borehole repository for fuel from both the Triga II reactor and Slovenia’s single-unit Krško nuclear power station, which is co-owned with Croatia. When the plant was built both nations were part of the former Yugoslavia.

The Triga II study follows a recent Deep Isolation study, published by Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning, of Krško fuel disposal options and fuel inventories from four other European countries.