August 23 (SeeNews) - Slovenia should put all efforts to start building a second unit at the Krsko nuclear power plant in order to avoid any electricity shortages in the future, prime minister Marjan Sarec has said.
The future development of the energy infrastructure is determined by rising electricity needs, digitalisation and infrastructure interconnection in the light of the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the obligation to reduce carbon emissions under the 2050 Energy Strategy, Sarec said in a press release on Thursday when he visited the Krsko NPP and its operator, state-controlled company GEN Energija.
Under the 2050 Energy Strategy, the European Union targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 compared to 1990, through investment in new low-carbon technologies, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and grid infrastructure.
The Krsko plant is equipped with a Westinghouse pressurised light water reactor of 2000 MW thermal power capacity. It generates over five billion kWh of electricity per year, accounting for some 40% of Slovenia's electricity production.
The plant is jointly managed by its two owners - GEN Energija and Croatian power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP). The two neighbouring countries share the power plant's output.
Krsko was built in Slovenia near the border with Croatia in the 1970s and launched operations in 1982, when the two countries were still part of the former Yugoslavia.
The plant was originally designed to operate until 2023. In 2016, GEN ENergija and HEP decided to extend its lifespan by 20 years until 2043, under the condition that the plant will undergo a security check every 10 years.