In 2024 Slovenia will be able to assess whether it has enough information to decide on the construction of the second unit at the nuclear power plant Krsko, Slovenian Minister of Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer said. The final decision on construction will be made no later than 2027.
Minister Kumer reminded that Gen Energija, as the investor, is preparing information on the construction of the second unit at NPP Krsko. This includes data on the investment cost, eligibility of suppliers, deadlines and the price of electricity from the nuclear power plant. He said that, in the current national energy and climate plan, 2027 is the latest deadline for deciding on the construction of the unit. It was previously said that it would be impossible to obtain all the important information before 2024. That is still the case today.
According to Kumer, the nuclear market is consolidating rapidly but also developing. The timing of the decision, which is expected to be subject to a referendum, depends on whether the investor will gather all possible and necessary information and subsequently make a decision or collect enough information and present it to the public earlier. The first step towards a new unit will be a comprehensive request by the investor to amend the national spatial plan. Minister Kumer hopes that this will be done within a month or two.
When asked how Slovenia will ensure energy self-sufficiency after the coal phase-out in 2033, Kumer replied that there is no crystal ball. Slovenia is facing ten years of uncertainty and the Government intends to prepare the best possible starting point.
