Ljubljana has said plant could be online in mid-2040s
Slovenia’s state-owned power firm GEN Energija has signed contracts for feasibility studies with French energy company EDF and US-based Westinghouse Electric Company, marking a key step towards the planned expansion of the single-unit Krško nuclear power station.
GEN Energja said in a statement that the third reactor technology bidder, South Korea’s KHNP has pulled out of the project.
The company said the technical feasibility studies will include technological and legal requirements, and safety and implementation aspects. The studies will ensure that the project is planned based on “realistic technical possibilities”, it said.
Westinghouse confirmed the contract and said it will partner with South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction to explore the possibility of deploying an AP1000 reactor unit at Krško.
An EDF spokesperson confirmed the deal and said the contract will take six months to complete. Vakisasai Ramany, EDF’s vice-president for international nuclear development, said on social media EDF’s feasibility study will focus on its EPR technology and will assess site-specific conditions.
GEN Energja said key activities for 2025 will be a siting process and the continuation of expert studies, including feasibility studies, radiological reports, flooding and seismic studies.
Last week, the company announced a public tender for the preparation of the feasibility studies.
The total estimated value of both studies, with each bidder conducting one separately, will be €8.3m ($8.6m). They are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025, GEN Energija said.
KHNP Pulls Out, Cites ‘Change In Business Priorities’
GEN Energija said the third potential bidder for the Krško new-build project, South Korea’s KHNP, will not submit a bid and will resign from taking part in the project. GEN Energija referred to an assessment by KHNP of the current business environment and a change in the company’s business priorities.
The 688-MW Krško, supplied by Westinghouse, is Slovenia’s only nuclear station. It is in the east of the country on the border with Croatia and began commercial operation in 1983.
Slovenia has been considering the construction of a second unit at the site. Earlier reports said a final decision would be made in 2027 or 2028 with commercial operation in the mid-2040s.
In January 2023, Slovenian authorities approved a 20-year operating lifetime extension to Krško, meaning the reactor unit could operate until 2043, a total of 60 years.
Krško is owned equally by Croatian utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda and Slovenia’s state-owned power generator, GEN Group, the parent company of power company Gen Energija. However, current plans for a new Krško reactor are being pursued solely by Slovenia.
In October, the Slovenian parliament in Ljubljana called off a referendum on the construction of a second nuclear plant. It is not clear whether the referendum will be rescheduled, although lawmakers have said it is not a legal requirement for the project to proceed.
