Slovenia’s infrastructure ministry has issued a permit for the construction of a second unit at Krško, Slovenia’s only nuclear power station, a step that allows permitting procedures to begin.

Details of the project are not yet clear, but infrastructure minister Jernej Vrtovec said the plan was to build a 1.1 GW unit with an estimated production of 9,000 GW of electricity per year and a lifespan of 60 years. He said Slovenia “is moving towards an independent, clean and low-carbon future”.

The project will be managed by the state-owned utility Gen Energija, whose director Martin Novšak indicated that permitting could optimistically take five years, with construction beginning around 2026 and taking another five years.