The owner and licensee of the plant, Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško (NEK), received the operating licence for the facility from the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration in October.
US-based Holtec International placed the first Hi-Storm FW cask system into storage on 2 April, officially marking the facility’s commissioning.
Holtec was awarded a contract by NEK in February 2017 that included the design and construction of the dry storage building.
According to Holtec, Hi-Storm FW casks are qualified to a severe earthquake level and the storage modules are engineered to withstand impact from a military or commercial aircraft, exceeding the International Atomic Energy Agency guidance for operating nuclear power plants. The custom-engineered domed lid of the Hi-Storm FW, unique to this project, is a Holtec innovation developed to engineer an impact-capable design.
The 688 MWe Krško plant is Slovenia’s only commercial nuclear unit, providing about 36% of the country’s electricity generation. It is a Westinghouse pressurised water reactor and was the first western nuclear power plant in eastern Europe. Construction started in 1975 and it began commercial operation in 1983.
In January, Slovenia approved Krško’s operation for a further 20 years until 2043.
“With the introduction of dry storage, we will fulfil all the conditions and implement the decisions of the administrative bodies to extend the operation of the nuclear power plant and provide customers with electricity at a reasonable price for another two decades,” NEK said.
