Slovenia has rather limited energy reserves (Table 3). The proven and recoverable reserves of low quality brown coal and lignite amount to 199 million tons. Oil reserves are very scarce at 850 000 tons with annual exploitation of 2 500 tons. The estimated hydro reserves of Slovenia are up to 9.1 TWh per year, out which 4.3 TWh are already exploited. The country is connected to three gas pipelines from Algeria, Russian Federation and Austria respectively.

TABLE 3. ESTIMATED ENERGY RESERVES

(*) Sources: WEC Survey of Energy Resources, 2013 Survey: Data for 2011

(1) Coal including Lignite: proved recoverable reserves, the tonnage within the proved amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology

(2) Crude oil and natural gas liquids (Oil Shale, Natural Bitumen and Extra-Heavy Oil are not included): proved recoverable reserves, the quantity within the proved amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology

(3) Natural gas: proved recoverable reserves, the volume within the proved amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology

(4) Reasonably Assured Resources (RAR) under < USD 130/kgU

(5) Hydropower: technically exploitable capability, the amount of the gross theoretical capability that can be exploited within the limits of current technology

A significant share of Slovenian industrial production is very energy intensive, such as steel production, aluminum, chemicals, pulp and paper industry, and building material. However, its share in final energy demand is decreasing; in 2014, industrial energy demand accounted for 26.3%. The largest share was in transport, at 39.0 %. The high energy consumption in industry and transport is also reflected in high energy use per unit of GDP, compared to most western European countries. Energy use per capita is lower than the average for EU countries.

TABLE 4. BASIC ENERGY SITUATION

Source: Slovenian Statistical Office

The Government of Slovenia laid down its energy policy objectives and main priorities for the development of the energy system in its Resolution on the National Energy Plan (NEP) in 2004. The time horizon of NEP is 2003-2023. However, under the new Energy Act of 2014, a new Energy Concept of Slovenia is being prepared with the time horizon of 20 years with the view to additional 20 years – so the period 2015-2035-2055.

The discussions are on-going and the question of nuclear energy will be among those issues discussed. The strategy will focus on defining the path to low-carbon economy.

Additional info:

http://www.energetika-portal.si/dokumenti/strateski-razvojni-dokumenti/energetski-koncept-slovenije/

The following services are carried out within the public service obligations scope: electricity transmission, transmission system operator (TSO), electricity distribution, distribution system operator (DSO), and market operator. The transmission and distribution companies are required to ensure the access to the electricity network in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner following the principles of regulated third party access. The information on distribution and transmission networks traffic is public. The markets for electricity and gas in Slovenia have been open to all non-household customers since July 2004, representing a degree of market opening in terms of volume of 75% and 90%, respectively. Both markets were fully opened since 1 July 2007.

Electricity is being traded via bilateral contracts and on the market organized by Borzen, the market organizer. When dispatching generating installations, priority is given to qualified producers using renewable energy sources or waste and cogeneration units, and generating installations using indigenous primary energy fuel sources, to an extent not exceeding in any calendar year 15 % of the overall primary energy necessary to produce the electricity consumed in Slovenia, as laid down in the EU electricity directive.

Generating installations using renewable energy sources or waste and cogeneration units are eligible for qualified producer status. Producers have to meet environmental acceptability standards. Power plants are divided into four groups, depending on the installed power, as follows: micro power plants (up to and including 36 kW), small power plants (from 36 kW to including 1 MW), medium power plants (from 1 MW to 10 MW), and large power plants (above 10 MW).

The feed-in tariff scheme is set by the government to stimulate production of electricity from renewable sources (RES) and combined heat and electricity power plants (CHP). The national target, a 39.3 % share of renewable electricity in the gross final energy demand by 2020, is set in the National action plan for renewable energy for the period 2010-2020. Purchase of electricity from RES and CHP is guaranteed and organized by the Center for Support. The support scheme is financed via supplement to the electricity price.

The Energy Agency was established by the Energy Act with the purpose of providing transparent and non-discriminatory operation of the electricity and natural gas markets for the benefit of all participants. The Agency is an independent organization that controls the activity of the electricity and natural gas markets, having the following duties and authority:

1. Setting the use of the system charges (The Agency's duties will be broadened by amendments of the Energy Act in accordance with the Directive 2003/54/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity, the Directive 2003/55/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and Regulation 2003/1228/EC on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity). Taking decisions about the justification of costs and other elements of the price for use of system charges on the basis of data and criteria for the evaluation of cost justification.

2. Taking decisions in case of disputes, originating from:

• denial of access to electric or gas system,

• to charge for the use of the electric or gas system.

3. Granting of licenses for performing energy activities in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Act and its decree.

In addition to the above listed tasks, the Agency also executes the following duties:

1. cooperates with competent authorities and inspectorates,

2. publishes annual reports and information for the public,

3. performs other tasks connected with the control of the function of the electricity and natural gas markets.

The founding of the Market Operator has been one of the obligatory elements introduced by the Energy Act, and at the same time one of the fundamental conditions for opening up the electricity market. The organized electricity market is the meeting point of supply and demand of electricity.

The operation of the organized electricity market and the rights and duties of the Market Operator have been set forth in detail in the Rules on the Operation of the Electricity Market. Borzen d.o.o. was established in March 2001 and has the role of Market Operator.

The Market Operator is responsible for ensuring transparency of the organized electricity market by publishing special indices, price lists and quantities based on transactions concluded on the electricity market in different time periods. This provides market participants with the possibility to develop appropriate strategies for trading purposes and for forming their own bids. The Market Operator is also responsible for registering of all bilateral agreements and balancing group settlement.

In 2014, Slovenia had 3,453 MW of total electricity production capacity, 688 MW of which was provided by the only nuclear power plant in Krško, with the rest coming from hydro (1,295 MW) and thermal (1,242 MW) power plants. Total net production in 2014 amounted to 14,486 GWh, of which 6,061 GWh were produced in the nuclear power plant, 6,284 GWh in hydro and 3,880 GWh in thermal power plants. As it can be seen from presented data, Slovenia has fairly diversified primary sources for electricity production.

There are eight generating companies, each with one main power station. In the case of hydro-power, a company operates a chain of power plants on a single river system. Most of the major players in electricity production are owned by the two parent companies, Holding Sovenske Elektrarne (HSE) and Gen Energija. HSE also has the majority of ownership in the lignite mine in Velenje. NEK, on the other hand, is owned in equal shares by Slovenian and Croatian legal successors of the founders of the power plant. On the Slovenian side, this is the company Gen Energija, 100% owned by the state.

The transmission electricity network of Slovenia is operated by transmission system operator ELES d.o.o. (ELES), whose main responsibility is to ensure the best possible and transparent use of the existing transmission grid management, operational reliability and security (defined in the Energy Act). Slovenian electricity power system is interlinked with the synchronous transmission grids of neighbouring states and integrated into the European network. There are three voltage levels in the transmission grid – 400 kV, 220 kV and 110 kV, as well as corresponding transformer substations.

The transmission network of Slovenia is presented on the picture below, along with the above mentioned generating capacities.

FIG 1: Transmission Network of Slovenia

Final energy consumption for Slovenia in 2014 was 192,884 PJ, of which the share of industry was 26.3%, transport was 39.0% and others were 34.70%. Liquid fuels were contributed 47.4%, electricity 23.2%, natural gas 11.3%, renewable energy sources 13.8%, district heat 3.3% and coal 1.1%.

TABLE 5. ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION AND INSTALLED CAPACITIES

Source: Slovenian Statistical Office

TABLE 6. ENERGY RELATED RATIOS

Source: Slovenian Statistical Office

Slovenia has one nuclear power plant in commercial operation since 1983, the NEK (Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško). Construction started in 1975 and it was connected to the grid in 1981, entering commercial operation in 1983. In 2001, its steam generators were replaced and the plant was uprated by 6% and an additional 3% subsequently. Its operational life was designed to be 40 years, and in 2012 was extended to 60 years. The Krško NPP is a pressurized water reactor plant of 696 MW_e, delivered and constructed by Westinghouse, and is jointly owned with the Republic of Croatia. The operational and safety record of Krško NPP is good and complies with all international standards and highest safety requirements. The safety status of the plant has been supervised by the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration as well as by international expert missions organized by IAEA, EU, WANO, etc.

After modernization and the transition to the 18-month fuel cycle, it can produce over 5.8 TWh in a year without outage, and around 5.4 TWh in a year with outage, which means that, in accordance with the bilateral treaty on the Krško NPP, between 2.7 and 2.9 TWh of electricity are available for the Slovenian market annually. In addition to the important share of the electricity produced, the Krško NPP is also characterized by extremely high reliability of production, and by achieving its ambitiously set goals it is classified in the top quarter of the best functioning NPPs in the world. At the same time, it is placed among the ten power plants in the world, which can function for 510 days without shutdown, which has an important effect on ensuring the stability of the electric power system and reliable supply to customers.

The Contract between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the regulation of status and other legal relations connected to investment in the Krško NPP, its exploitation and decommissioning, and the Memorandum of Association, were both entered into force on 11 March 2003. The basic capital of the Krško NPP is divided into two equal shares owned by the partners GEN Energija and HEP (Hrvatska Elektropriveda). The Krško NPP produces and supplies electricity exclusively in favour of the two partners, who each have the right and obligation to use 50% of its total output.

The organizational structure of The Krško NPP is shown in Figures 2 and 3 bellow.

FIG 2: External Organization Structure

FIG 3: Organization Structure of the Krško NPP

TABLE 7. STATUS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Source: IAEA - Power Reactor Information System (PRIS).

Note: Table 7 is completely generated from PRIS data to reflect the latest available information and may be more up to date than the text of the report.

More data can be found on Krško NPP home page (http://www.nek.si/en/).

FIG 4: Location of the Nuclear Power Plant Krško.

The Krško NPP is the only facility in Slovenia using nuclear energy for the commercial production of electric energy. After modernization and the transition to the 18-month fuel cycle, it can produce over 5.8 TWh in a year without outage, and around 5.4 TWh in a year with outage, which means that, in accordance with the bilateral treaty on the Krško NPP, between 2.7 and potentially over 2.9 TWh of electric energy is available for the Slovenian market annually.

The most important performance indicators:

Krško NPP’s operational life was originally designed for 40 years, which means that it would be in operation until 2023. However, thanks to very good maintenance and the replacement of major vital components, the Krško NPP is in very good condition. Krško NPP completed its ageing program in 2008, which is a basis for plant life extension. On 20 June 2012, the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration issued a decision approving the modifications, which will enable long-term operation of the Krško NPP. Approved aging management programme of the NPP is a precondition for the extension of its operation beyond 2023. In addition, before that, until mid-2013, the NPP has to complete a comprehensive second Periodic Safety Review, and then in 2022 and 2023, the third one. Besides that, in the next few years the NPP has to carry out a series of safety improvements resulting from lessons learned after the accident in Fukushima. In addition, the basic precondition for potential operation after 2023 is regular maintenance of operating equipment, well trained operators and a good safety culture of all employees. All above mentioned conditions should be fulfilled if the owners of the NPP want to extend its operation beyond 2023.

The Institute “Jožef Stefan” (IJS) is the leading Slovenian research organization. It is responsible for a broad spectrum of basic and applied research in the fields of natural sciences and technology. The staff of around 800 are specialized in physics, chemistry and biochemistry, electronics and information science, nuclear technology, energy utilization and environmental science.

From the beginning, the research activity of the Institute has also been oriented towards research in the field of nuclear physics and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. At the Reactor Centre in Podgorica, four Institute research departments and several centers were established.

The Department of the Low and Medium Energy Physics performs research on atomic and nuclear physics and is also engaged in radiological environmental protection, namely the regulation of nuclear facilities and the control of the level of radioactive substances in food and the environment. It was for this reason that the Ecological Laboratory, with its mobile unit, was established. The main research areas of the Reactor Physics Department are theoretical, experimental and applied reactor physics, plasma physics, nuclear fragmentation, neutron dosimetry, neutron radiography, the physics of semiconductor devices and oncology. The Reactor Engineering Division performs nuclear engineering and safety research covering the modeling of basic thermal-hydraulic processes, thermal-hydraulic safety analyses of the project and severe accidents, structural safety analyses and probabilistic safety analyses. The multidisciplinary research of the Department of Environmental Sciences focuses on the combination of reciprocal physical, chemical and biological processes that influence the environment.

The Institute also operates a Nuclear Training Centre on its premises, completed in 1988. It provides training for Krško NPP personnel, organizes radiological protection courses and carries out public information activities. The Centre also regularly organizes and hosts training activities and workshops for the IAEA. Their main activity is promotion of knowledge about the use of nuclear energy.

The Reactor Infrastructure Centre (RIC) is also part of IJS. The main purpose of the centre is operation of a TRIGA Mark II research reactor for the needs of IJS and other research groups. The research reactor was built by IJS in 1966. The reactor was delivered by General Atomics, while the reactor tank and body were built by Slovenian companies. In 1991, it was reconstructed and equipped for pulse operation. Practically all nuclear professionals in Slovenia started their career or attended practical training courses at the TRIGA reactor (including all professors of nuclear engineering and reactor physics at Ljubljana and Maribor University, as well as directors and key personnel of Krško NPP, Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration and Agency for Radioactive Waste). The reactor has accumulated more than 40 years of continuous operation without any failure of major equipment or any event violating safety standards. It is planed that the reactor will operate at least until 2026.

IJS has a long tradition in research programmes in the field of fission technology. The main effort is given to reactor physics and reactor technology. The reactor physics is directed mostly towards development of new methods for research and power reactor calculations. Work is done on neutron, photon and electron Monte Carlo transport, nuclear data evaluation, advanced nodal methods, pin cell and fuel element homogenization and on methods aimed at precise power distribution reconstruction. Also studied are advanced fourth generation reactors, advanced neutron sources and data, and materials for fusion technology. The reactor technology research activities belong to the wider field of nuclear engineering and safety. This interdisciplinary research integrates thermal-hydraulic, structural and probabilistic safety analyses. Advanced reactor technology is also studied, mainly by developing computer models for different physical phenomena. Both reactor physics and technology divisions are very strongly involved in many research projects within the European Framework Programes, as well as other programes.

Slovenia is also very strongly involved in fusion research, mainly for the purpose of ITER project. Different research departments are dealing with fusion and all of them are associated in the Slovenian Fusion Association. The contributions of the institutions in the Association to the several areas of the fusion programme are based on R&D experiences of the researchers in the fields of nuclear, atomic and plasma physics, ceramic materials development, mechanical engineering and computer aided design. The major equipment available in the institutions include the following: an ion beam accelerator with materials diagnostic installations, a TRIGA reactor, an advanced dedicated fully-integrated high resolution microscope facility for nanostructural materials, computer systems for simulations, structural mechanical analyses and CAD, among others.

Slovenia was admitted to full membership of the IAEA in 1992. Co-operation with the IAEA covers a wide range of activities, of which the most important are:

1. Preparation of International Conventions;

2. IAEA missions to Slovenia;

3. Technical co-operation, including attendance of Slovenian experts on Agency’s sponsored seminars and training courses, scholarship, scientific visits, research contracts;

Slovenia furthermore co-operates with other international organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA – observers) and the European Union. The co-operation is also institutionalized through the membership in associations, such as the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), the Network for Regulators with Small Nuclear Programs (NERS) and International Nuclear Law Association (INLA).

There is also co-operation through multilateral and bilateral international agreements. The Krsko NPP is a member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).

The Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) performs specialized technical and developmental administrative tasks and tasks of inspection supervision related to:

1. nuclear and radiation safety,

2. radioactive waste management,

3. carrying out practices involving radiation and use of radiation sources, except in medicine or veterinary medicine,

4. protection of people and environment against ionizing radiation,

5. physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities,

6. non-proliferation of nuclear materials and safeguards,

7. import, export and transit of nuclear and radioactive materials and radioactive waste,

8. radiation monitoring and

9. liability for nuclear damage.

The SNSA is a part of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning. The major nuclear facility supervised by the SNSA is the Krško NPP and the TRIGA research reactor at IJS. There is an interim storage of low and medium radioactive waste at the Reactor Centre site operated by the Agency for Radioactive Waste Management. The closed uranium mine Žirovski Vrh is also supervised by the SNSA.

Activity of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration

The activities of the SNSA are organized in six units:

1. nuclear safety,

2. radiological safety, nuclear and radioactive materials,

3. inspection control,

4. general affairs,

5. international co-operation and

6. emergency preparedness.

The Division of Nuclear Safety deals with licenses and with analyses, which are used to support the licensing by performing and/or reviewing the safety analysis.

The Division of Radiation Safety and Materials verifies radiation safety (except in medicine or veterinary medicine) and is responsible for radiation dosimetry control and radiation monitoring. It also deals with trade, transport and treatment of nuclear and radioactive materials. It shares responsibility in the field of physical protection of NPPs and nuclear materials with the Ministry of the Interior. It also deals with the treatment, temporary storage and disposal of radioactive waste and participates in the selection of sites for nuclear facilities, especially those destined for radioactive waste. Finally, it is responsible for safeguards and illicit trafficking issues.

The Office of General Affairs is involved with licensing procedures and the preparation of legislation on nuclear and radiation safety and on nuclear third party liability.

The Office of International Co-operation co-ordinates the co-operation with international organizations (IAEA, OECD/NEA, EU, WENRA, etc.) and with foreign regulatory authorities for nuclear and radiation safety within bilateral agreements.

The Division of Inspection Control supervises license-holders in fulfilling the safety requirements contained in the laws, regulations and in their licenses. Inspections may be done one at a time, or may form part of an overall plan of inspections. To increase their efficiency, inspections may be unannounced. Inspections at Krsko NPP are carried out on a weekly basis.

The Emergency Preparedness Division is primarily responsible for planning, training, conducting drills and exercises in the area of emergency preparedness and response within the SNSA, as well as for coordination of these activities with other stakeholders in Slovenia and abroad.

The licensing process is governed by the provisions of the Act on Nuclear Safety and Protection against Ionizing Radiation (Off. Gaz. RS, 67/2002, 24/2003, 50/2003, 46/2004, 102/2004, 60/2011 and 74/2015).

The licensing system can be divided into four steps after preliminary condition (the planning of the location of nuclear facilities in the national site development plan) is fulfilled:

application for the license for the use of land – the competent body is the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, with preliminary approval of radiation and nuclear safety - the competent body is SNSA,

• application for the license to construct a facility – the competent body is the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, with an approval from the SNSA,

• application for the license for trial operation – the competent body is SNSA,

• application for the operation and the decommissioning – the competent body is the SNSA.

In the Act on Nuclear Safety and Protection against Ionizing Radiation there are provisions on:

• Use of land: The planning of the site of nuclear facilities and the conditions for their siting in a spatially and functionally contained area must be carried out with the national site development plan. An investor must obtain a license for the use of land.

• Construction: An investor intending to construct or decommission a nuclear facility, must obtain a construction license for the construction, reconstruction or decommissioning of a nuclear facility. The same applies to the investor intending to carry out construction work in an area of limited use due in a vicinity of a nuclear facility, which affects nuclear safety.

• Trial operation: After the construction work is completed, every nuclear facility must first undergo a period of trial operation. It is necessary to obtain approval from the SNSA prior to the commencement of a period of trial operation of a nuclear facility.

• Operation and decommissioning: An investor or operator, who intends to commence or cease operation of a nuclear facility, commence the disposal of spent fuel in a repository of spent fuel or of radioactive waste in a repository of radioactive waste, close a repository of spent fuel or radioactive waste or commence or complete the decommissioning of a nuclear facility, must obtain a license from the SNSA.

• Periodic safety review (PSR): The Act requires, that the operator of a nuclear facility ensures regular, full and systematic assessment and examination of radiation or nuclear safety of a facility by a PSR. The PSR must be approved by the SNSA. The approved report on PSR is the condition for renewing an operation license.

• Modifications: With regard to every intended modification in the facility or to the management method used or to the operation of the facility, including maintenance work, inspection, testing or the introduction of a technical, organizational or any other modification which affects or could indirectly affect the content of the safety analysis report, the operator must evaluate the intended modification in relation to its significance for radiation or nuclear safety. With respect to their significance for radiation or nuclear safety, changes may be:

• such that it shall be necessary only to notify the SNSA,

• such that the intention of their implementation must be reported to the SNSA,

• of such a significance for radiation or nuclear safety that for its implementation a license from the SNSA must be obtained.

The Act on Nuclear Safety and Protection against Ionizing Radiation contains provisions on issuing, renewal, amendment and expiration of the license. The Act determines the content of a license (details about the operator, a detailed description of the type, scope and the purpose of the use of the facility, the duration of the validity of the license, the operational conditions and limitations relating to the safety analysis report, obligations relating to periodic safety review, the steps the licensee must take after the license expires, the financial warranties, the deadlines and conditions for a repeated review of the evaluation of the radiation protection of exposed workers and the protection and emergency plan), the duration of a license (a license may be issued for a maximum of ten years, except in the case of a license for the completion of a decommissioning of a facility or the closure of a facility) and the conditions for the renewal of the license (the same conditions and procedure as for the issuing of a license). A license may be amended on the request of the licensee or ex officio. A license can be amended ex officio when the conditions related to the nuclear or radiation safety have changed, when this is required for the protection of the environment or the life or health of the population, for public benefit or when due to external influences or natural phenomena a radiation source is under threat so that nuclear or radiation safety is considerably reduced. The provisions applying to the issue of a license also apply to the procedure for amending a license.

The Act on Nuclear Safety and Protection against Ionizing Radiation has only few provisions on licensing procedure since there is the General Administrative Procedure Act (Official Gazette 24/06 – UPB2, 126/07, 65/08, 08/10 and 82/13) stipulating all the general principles of licensing procedure, which are to be followed also by SNSA. The rules of the General Administrative Procedure Act must be followed with regard to all procedure issues, unless in case, when the special acts provide for a different solution. For example, based on the provisions of the General Administrative Procedure Act, the licensee can appeal any decision issued by any regulatory body. But the Act on Nuclear Safety and Protection against Ionizing Radiation determines the cases, for which no right to appeal against the SNSA’s decision is allowed. In these cases the licensee will have only the right for judicial review of the decision.

Furthermore, there are two regulations issued by the minister for the environment, which deal in detail with specific licensing aspects.

The Rules on operational safety of radiation and nuclear facilities, which determines:

• the method of using the operating conditions and limits,

• the method and frequency of reporting on the implementation of programs on collection and analysis of operating experience,

• the manner and extent of control of aging and

• the way of maintenance, testing and inspection of SSC.

The rules also have provisions on:

• content, scope and frequency of regular and emergency reporting,

• frequency, content, scope, duration and method of conducting periodic safety reviews and the manner of reporting on these reviews,

• cases when the SNSA may order a periodic safety review,

• content, quality and method of probabilistic safety analysis for checking the safety of nuclear facilities and on evaluation methodology and classification of modifications and the manner and form of information and notification of changes in radiation or nuclear facilities.

With respect of emergency the rules also determine detailed requirements on emergency response plan and emergency management in radiation or nuclear facilities, on emergency procedures in radiation or nuclear facilities and on ways of informing about the incident.

Rules on radiation and nuclear safety factors, which determines the conceptual basis for radiation and nuclear facilities and the content of application and content of documents to obtain approvals and licenses for nuclear and radiation facilities under the act governing protection against ionizing radiation and nuclear safety. It also determines the contents of safety reports and other documentation necessary to demonstrate and ensure the safety of radiation and nuclear facilities as well as additional requirements regarding organisation of a radiation or nuclear facility and regarding the content and format of the quality assurance program and its implementation in radiation and nuclear facilities.