Slovenia imports half of its primary energy demand and all of its oil and natural gas. In 2020 the country’s energy supply consisted of around 29% oil, 25% nuclear, 16% coal, 11% natural gas, 11% combustible renewables and waste, 6% hydro and 2% other renewables (solar and wind). Energy dependency as of 2020 stood at 44.5%.

Final energy consumption (FEC) in 2020 amounted to 185.9 PJ, a decrease of 9% compared with 2019. The largest consumer of energy is the transport sector at 36%, followed by manufacturing and construction at 28%, households at 24% and other use (including agriculture and forestry) at 12%. FEC by energy source consists of oil at 42%, electricity 25%, renewables and waste 14%, natural gas 13%, heat 4% and other renewables 2%.

1. Energy policy

The energy policy goals of Slovenia are to ensure a reliable, safe and competitive energy supply in a sustainable manner by ensuring a low carbon transition and achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Future development of the energy industry is centralized among three general and inextricably linked energy policy pillars, namely climate sustainability, energy supply security and competitiveness.

In 2020, Slovenia prepared its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the next 20 years, which was adopted by the Government on 27 February 2020. The NECP includes an analysis of different scenarios for the contribution of the European Union (EU) to meeting its own and Member States’ commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. According to the EU Regulation 2018/1999, which entered into force on 24 December 2018, European Union Member States were required to prepare integrated NECPs that cover the five dimensions of the energy union for 2021–2030 with long term planning up to 2040, according to the drafted governance of the energy union and climate action rules.

The objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions affects the share of renewable energy sources in the final consumption of energy. Currently, Slovenia’s national objective is set at 27% by 2030 and confirmed by the Slovenian Development Strategy 2030.

Year 2021 kept Slovenian policy makers busy in the field of energy and climate policies. The Resolution on the Long-Term Climate Strategy until 2050, adopted in July, sets a clear goal of Slovenia’s climate strategy to transition to net-zero emissions and become climate neutral by 2050 by managing energy and natural resources efficiently, while maintaining a high level of economic competitiveness.

Slovenia will strive to reduce the use of and dependency on fossil energy sources to the greatest extent possible, by gradually phasing out their use, advancing the efficient use of energy and increasing the use of renewable and low carbon sources.

To pursue ambitious national and EU climate goals, one of the key tasks for Slovenian Government in 2021 was the preparation of the National strategy for coal phase-out and restructuring of coal regions based on just transition principles, which was adopted in January 2022 and directs the phasing out of coal by 2033 at the latest. New investments supported by the EU Just Transition Fund and national financial resources will enable revitalization of regions through different energy, social, ecological and research projects. Additionally, within the revision of the EU ETS directive in the frame of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package, Slovenia is striving for the inclusion as a beneficiary of the Modernization Fund; the financial resources available could contribute greatly to national energy transition processes.

According to the World Energy Council, Slovenia with a well-diversified energy mix (1/3 Renewable Energy Sources (RES), 1/3 Nuclear and 1/3 Fossil fuels in the structure of electricity generation) remains a strong World Energy Trilemma performer with high scores in the energy security, energy equity dimension and environmental sustainability (balance grade ABA and global ranking 17 for 2021 rating).

One of the crucial aspects for Slovenia is also the inclusion of natural gas and nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy, enabling new projects to be eligible for sustainable financing. Slovenia considers nuclear energy as an important energy source and, in accordance with the Resolution on the Slovenian climate long-term strategy 2050, plans the long-term use of nuclear energy.

In light of higher EU climate (and consequently renewable) targets by 2030, a key action priority for Slovenia is accelerating the share of renewable energy sources. It must be pointed out that a right balance between achieving national climate targets and preserving environmental needs must be found at national and local level. Slovenia has the highest share of Natura 2000 protected territories in the EU (38% of the national territory), which makes spatial planning of renewable projects very challenging. Renewable projects of national interest, such as large hydro power plants, should therefore benefit from simplified permitting procedures.

The electricity transmission system is well connected to the systems of neighboring countries. The construction of a transmission line connection with neighboring Hungary, with which the Slovenian transmission system has not yet been connected, is underway.

Slovenia also maintains projects of common interest, including electricity clusters with high voltage power lines with Croatia, Hungary and Italy, which will contribute to the optimization of electricity trade, energy supply and increase electricity interconnectivity. Moreover, the Slovenian and Croatian electricity transmission network operators are implementing a project of common interest in the field of smart networks, which is co-financed by Connecting Europe Facility. Smart grid projects are a major challenge in supporting the integration of more dispersed renewable energy sources into the grid. Significantly more investment in the power grids on both transmission and distribution network will be needed in the next decade to support efficient integration of renewable energy sources.

Production of power from synthetic methane is foreseen as the promotion of pilot Power-2-Gas projects. Slovenia has also joined the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative to harmonize the development of Slovenian hydrogen network with the EU and neighboring countries.

1. Estimated available energy

Slovenia has limited energy reserves (see Table 1). The proven and recoverable reserves of low quality brown coal and lignite amount to approximately 371 million tonnes. There are no proven recoverable reserves of crude oil or natural gas liquids. The estimated hydropower reserves of Slovenia are up to 9.1 TWh per year, of which 4.3 TWh are already exploited. The country is connected to three gas pipelines, from Algeria, Austria and the Russian Federation.

TABLE 1. ESTIMATED AVAILABLE ENERGY SOURCES

	Fossil fuels			Nuclear	Renewables
	Solida	Liquidb	Gasc	Uraniumd	Hydroe
Total amount	371	—f	—f	1700	9100

^a Coal, including lignite (million tonnes).

^b Crude oil and natural gas liquids (million tonnes; oil shale, natural bitumen and extra heavy oil are not included).

^c Natural gas (billion cubic metres).

^d Reasonably assured resources under US $130/kg U (tonnes).

^e Hydropower (TWh per year): technically exploitable capability, the amount of the gross theoretical capability that can be exploited within the limits of current technology.

^f —: data not available.

Source: World Energy Council, data for 2015 [1].

1. Energy Consumption Statistics

Total primary energy supply (TPES) in 2020 amounted to 266.7 PJ. Final energy consumption (FEC) in 2020 amounted to 185.9 PJ. Due to the decline in economic activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both TPES and FEC indicators for 2020 fell below the level of the year 2000. The highest growth of FEC in the period 2000–2020 was recorded by electricity at 1.1% per annum, followed by renewable energy sources (1.0% p.a.), while a negative trend was recorded by solids (–3.6% p.a.), oil (–0.7% p.a.) and heat (–0.5% p.a.).

TABLE 2. ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Final Energy consumption [PJ]	2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	Compound annual growth rate 2000–2020 (%)
Total	194	216	218	200	189	-0.14
Coal, Lignate and Peat	4	4	2	2	1	-4.78
Oil	98	105	107	94	83	-0.78
Natural gas	29	33	29	24	25	-0.82
Bioenergy and Waste	18	19	27	25	25	1.68
Electricity	38	46	43	46	47	1.04
Heat	8	8	9	9	8	-0.11

*Latest available data, please note that compound annual growth rate may not be representative of actual average growth.

**Total energy derived from primary and secondary generation sources. Figures do not reflect potential heat output that may result from electricity co-generation.

—: data not available.

Source(s): United Nations Statistical Division, OECD/IEA and IAEA RDS-1

The sectorial analysis of FEC over the period 2000–2020 shows an increasing trend in the transport sector at an average rate of 1.6% per annum, while there was a decreasing trend in the household sector (–0.5% p.a.), in the industry sector (–0.2% p.a.) and other use (–0.6% p.a.). A significant share of Slovenian industrial production is energy intensive, such as steel production, aluminium, chemicals, pulp or paper and building materials. Overall energy demand is decreasing gradually; in 2020 industrial energy demand accounted for 28% of final energy consumption.

1. Electricity system and decision making process

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

The creation of a market operator is one of the obligatory elements of the Energy Act, and one of the fundamental conditions for opening up the electricity market. The operation of the organized electricity market and the rights and duties of the market operator were set in detail in the new Rules on the Operation of the Electricity Market in 2019, which implement the requirements of the first stage of harmonization of the Electricity Balancing Guideline Regulation. Borzen was established in 2001 as power market operator to implement the public utility service relating to the organization of the electricity market and activities in the Slovenian energy field connected with stimulating the use of renewable sources and the efficient use of energy. Borzen provides and facilitates the coordinated operation of the Slovenian electricity system. It is responsible for executing activities relating to balance scheme management, recording of closed contracts, elaboration of indicative operating schedule, imbalance settlement and financial settlement of transactions.

Within the ‘Centre for RES/CHP support’, Borzen acts as support scheme operator for the generation of energy from renewable energy sources (RES) and highly efficient cogeneration of heat and power (CHP). The support scheme is financed via a supplement to the electricity price. Installations using renewable energy sources or waste and cogeneration units are eligible for qualified producer status. Yet, producers must meet environmental acceptability standards. Power plants are divided into four groups, depending on the installed power: micro power plants (up to 50 kW); small power plants (from 50 kW to 1 MW); medium power plants (from 1 MW to 10 MW); and large power plants (above 10 MW). The feed-in tariff scheme and premium schemes are set by the Government to stimulate production of electricity from renewable energy sources and combined heat and electricity power plants.

Borzen also promotes the development of the Slovenian electricity market and market mechanisms in accordance with European Union guidelines and contributes significantly to the proper functioning of the Slovenian power system, alignment of Slovenian and European legislation and integration of the Slovenian electricity market with the European electricity market.

In accordance with the provisions of the legislation, the Energy Agency is established as the national energy regulator and is responsible for the preparation and compliance of market rules. The regulator’s tasks are to provide the conditions for the development of competitiveness and to ensure energy market operation by taking into account the requirements for sustainable, reliable and high quality supply.

The Energy Agency shall, acting under public authorization, carry out the administrative and other tasks specified in the Energy Act, European Union regulations, which determine the competences of the national energy regulators, or in general act of the agency adopted on the basis of the energy legislation. The tasks can be summarized in the following areas:

• Regulating network activities, which covers economic regulation of all electricity and gas system operators and the regulation of the network with respect to issuing consents to the general acts;

• Regulating the supply of heat and other energy gases;

• Ensuring a reliable supply of natural gas;

• Promoting the production of electricity from renewable sources and cogeneration;

• Promoting the efficient use of energy;

• Monitoring the electricity and natural gas market;

• Supervising the providers of energy operators’ activities;

• Protecting the rights of consumers.

The Energy Agency, in performing its tasks, establishes conditions that encourage regulated companies to improve performance and investments. It supervises and monitors the implementation of regulated activities by determining the right balance between the quality of supply and prices for regulated services and promotes the efficient use of existing infrastructure. It ensures the transparency and openness of the regulatory process. It cooperates in the preparation and amendment of the rules and general acts regulating market operation, and promotes transparency and non-discrimination.

The Energy Agency is continuously improving the regulation of the energy market in accordance with best professional practice. It participates in the creation of the internal energy market at a regional level.

1.2.1. Structure of the electric power sector

1. Overview

Slovenia has one nuclear power plant in commercial operation, Krško NPP. 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 first uprated by 6%, followed by an additional 3% uprate. The original plant lifetime was 40 years, based on economic parameters. Based on its good technical condition and the fact that all essential components were replaced and are well maintained. A 20 year lifetime extension (to 2043) was proposed, which would be adopted by regular ten year periodic safety review processes, first in 2023 and then in 2033. Krško NPP is a pressurized water reactor of 696 MW(e) net, delivered and constructed by Westinghouse and jointly owned with Croatia. The reliable operational and safety record of Krško NPP complies with all international standards and the highest safety requirements. The safety status of the plant is supervised by the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) as well as by international expert missions organized by the IAEA, the European Union and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), among others.

After modernization in 2001 and transition to an 18 month fuel cycle in 2005, Krško NPP can produce over 6 TWh in a year without outage and around 5.4 TWh in a year with outage. In accordance with the bilateral treaty on Krško NPP, between 2.7 TWh and 3 TWh of electricity is available for the Slovenian market annually. In addition to the share of the electricity produced, Krško NPP is also characterized by extremely high reliability. It can operate for 510 days without shutdown, ensuring stability of the electrical power system and a reliable supply to customers.

The contract between the governments of Slovenia and Croatia on the regulation of status and other legal relations connected to investment in Krško NPP, the use and decommissioning of the NPP, in addition to the memorandum of association, all took effect on 11 March 2003. The basic capital of Krško NPP is divided into two equal shares owned by the partners GEN energija and HEP (Hrvatska Elektroprivreda). Krško NPP produces and supplies electricity exclusively in favour of the two partners, who each have the right and obligation to 50% of its total output.

1. Current organizational structure

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

FIG. 2. External organizational structure.

FIG. 3. Organizational structure of the Krško nuclear power plant.

1. Status and performance of nuclear power plants

Table 5 provides the status of Krško NPP, and more data can be found on the Krško NPP home page (www.nek.si/en) (see Fig. 4).

TABLE 5. STATUS AND PERFORMANCE OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Reactor Unit	Type	Net Capacity [MW(e)]	Status	Operator	Reactor Supplier	Construction Date	First Criticality Date	First Grid Date	Commercial Date	Shutdown Date	UCF for 2021
KRSKO	PWR	688	Operational	NEK	WH	3/30/1975	9/11/1981	10/2/1981	1/1/1983		90.2

Data source: IAEA - Power Reactor Information System (PRIS).

Note: Table 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.

Fig. 4. Location of Krško nuclear power plant.

The most important performance indicators are displayed in table below.

SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

	2021	Av. (1983–2021)
Availability (%)	90.7	87.98
Capacity factor (%)	90.15	86.87
Gross production (GW·h)	5705.95	5242.55
No. automatic fast shutdowns	0	2.10
No. manual fast shutdowns	0	0.13
No. unplanned normal shutdowns	0	0.67
No. planned normal shutdowns	1	0.79
No. event reports	0	3.87
Duration of the refuelling outage (days)	34.1	47.9

1. Plant upgrading, plant life management and licence renewals

Krško NPP’s operational life was originally designed for 40 years, until 2023. However, because of reliable maintenance and the replacement of major vital components, Krško NPP is in good condition. Based upon these parameters, Krško NPP launched its ageing management programme in 2008, which serves as a basis for plant life extension. On 20 June 2012, the SNSA issued a decision approving the modifications, which will enable long term operation of Krško NPP. An approved ageing management programme of Krško NPP is a precondition for the extension of its operation beyond 2023. In addition, a comprehensive second periodic safety review was approved in 2013, and a third one will be conducted between 2021 and 2023.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, Krško NPP analysed lessons learned and prepared the Safety Upgrade Programme (SUP), which was approved by the SNSA. The SUP for Krško NPP consists of a series of safety improvements, such as installing alternate bunkered systems for injecting cooling water into primary and secondary systems, installing an alternate system for cooling the spent fuel pool, installing a filtered venting system, replacing active hydrogen recombiners with passive ones, installing an emergency control room and independent instrumentation qualified for severe accidents, enhancing flood protection of the plant, etc. All of the original SUP improvements have been completed by the end of 2021.

Furthermore, the preconditions for operation after 2023 include maintenance of operating equipment, well trained operators and a good safety culture among all employees. All of the above mentioned conditions should be fulfilled if operation of the NPP is to be extended beyond 2023.

Slovenia has started the development of several strategic documents in the field of nuclear energy. The latest National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) from February 2020 in accordance with Resolution on the Slovenian Long-Term Strategy 2050 (ReDPS50) adopted in July 2021 enables the lifetime extension of existing Krško NPP and comprehensively examine the possibility of long-term use of nuclear energy with a decision on the construction of a new NPP to be taken until 2027.

There are no domestic suppliers of NPPs in Slovenia. The only plant is Krško NPP, based on imported technology provided by the United States of America.

Krško NPP is owned in equal share by GEN energija (Slovenia) and HEP (Croatia). Krško NPP is responsible for its own safe and stable operation through a permanent commitment to nuclear safety following state of the art standards. Maintenance is covered by Krško NPP staff, while for other major activities and outages, external companies (domestic and foreign) are hired. All Krško NPP operators must pass an extensive training programme. Training consists of four phases over the course of about two years. The first phase includes a theoretical basis, the second includes Krško NPP systems, the third requires full scope simulator training and the fourth qualifies newcomers for independent work in the control room. Once candidates complete all phases, they are still required to pass the exam before the expert committee of the SNSA.

The 2003 Agreement between Slovenia and Croatia on Krško NPP required the preparation of a Decommissioning Programme for Krško NPP by the Slovenian and Croatian authorities for the management of radioactive waste. In accordance with the agreement, a review of the Programme for the Decommissioning of Krško NPP and Disposal of Low and Intermediate Level Waste and Spent Fuel was prepared in April 2004. An update of the Decommissioning Programme is required at least every five years.

A revision of the Decommissioning Programme was started in September 2008. At the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Commission in September 2019, the final version (third revision) of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Programme was agreed upon by the Intergovernmental Commission. The Programme was deemed suitable for further admission procedures in the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Croatia. The third revision of the Decommissioning Programme was approved by the Intergovernmental Commission in July 2020.

The third revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Programme was prepared according to the decommissioning strategy (‘Immediate Dismantling’) after its planned final shutdown in 2043, with results based on the planned 6th Revision of the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan for Krško NPP. It contains the operation of the spent fuel dry storage (SFDS) facility and its decommissioning, as well as the successive conventional demolition of the other remaining buildings. Two cases under this revision are considered: first, the base case considers that the SFDS will operate until 2103; second, the sensitivity case considers that the SFDS will operate until 2075.

For both cases, pre-decommissioning activities will start in 2040. In December 2043, final shutdown with decontamination and decommissioning approval is envisaged. Building structures will be cleared to field level in 2058. Under the base case, decommissioning of the SFDS is expected in 2104, with greenfield status achieved in 2107. Under the sensitivity case, decommissioning of the SFDS is expected in 2076, with greenfield status in 2079.

The waste treatment and disposal (e.g. availability of a final repository and the corresponding repository requirements) have an impact on the entire decommissioning project, and thus on the decommissioning costs. A decision on these is important to enhance the planning reliability process for the next revisions of the plan.

In Slovenia, high level radioactive waste includes spent nuclear fuel from Krško NPP and spent fuel from the TRIGA research reactor. The greatest amount of low and intermediate level radioactive waste (over 95%) is generated from the operation of Krško NPP. The remaining waste is produced from medicinal, industrial and research activities. A special category of waste involves spent sealed radioactive sources, which are in the possession of small holders or are stored at the Central interim storage facility for Radioactive Waste in the town of Brinje, near Ljubljana. Krško NPP is the main producer of all waste categories in Slovenia. The contribution of other producers is relatively small. The amounts of different categories of radioactive waste in Slovenia at the end of 2021 are given in table below.

STATUS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste	Volume/No. of fuel assemblies
Low and intermediate level
Krško NPP*	2332.7 m3
Central interim storage facility	88.4 m3
Spent fuel
Krško NPP	1376
TRIGA reactor	0

* At different inside locations.

Figure 5 shows the accumulation of low and intermediate level radioactive waste in the Krško NPP storage area. Periodical volume reductions with compression, super compaction, incineration and melting are shown. The lower waste volume accumulation rate after 1995 is the result of a new in-drum system for drying evaporator concentrate and spent ion exchange resins. In 2006, Krško NPP started continuous compression of radioactive waste with its own super compactor installed at the storage facility.

FIG. 5. Accumulation of low and intermediate level radioactive waste in the Krško NPP storage area.

All spent fuel in Krško NPP is stored in the spent fuel pool, with 1694 cells. At the end of 2021, the total number of spent fuel assemblies in the spent fuel pool amounted to 1376 — including two special canisters with damaged fuel rods. The number of annually spent fuel assemblies and the total number of such elements in the pool are shown in Fig. 6.

FIG. 6. The number of annual spent fuel assemblies and the total number of such elements in the Krško NPP spent fuel pool.

1. R&D organizations

The Jožef Stefan Institute (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 is specialized in physics, chemistry and biochemistry, electronics and information science, nuclear technology, energy utilization and environmental science.

Since the beginning of domestic nuclear activities, research at the institute has also been oriented towards 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 centres were established.

The Department of 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 modelling of basic thermohydraulic processes, thermohydraulic 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 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 universities, as well as directors and key personnel of Krško NPP, the SNSA and the Agency for Radwaste Management). 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 planned that the reactor will operate at least until 2026.

1. Development of advanced nuclear power technologies

IJS has a long research programme tradition in the field of fission technology. The main efforts are dedicated to reactor physics and reactor technology. Research on reactor physics is directed mostly towards developing new methods for research and power reactor calculations. Work is carried out 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 thermohydraulic, 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 strongly involved in research projects within the European Framework Programmes, as well as other programmes.

Slovenia is also very strongly involved in fusion research, mainly for the purposes of the ITER project. Different research departments deal with fusion, and all of them are associated with 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 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 includes the following: an ion beam accelerator with materials diagnostic installations; a TRIGA reactor; an advanced fully integrated high resolution microscope facility dedicated to nanostructural materials; and computer systems for simulations, structural mechanical analyses and computer aided design.

1. International cooperation and initiatives

Slovenia was admitted to full membership of the IAEA in 1992. Cooperation with the IAEA covers a wide range of activities, including:

1. Cooperation within of international conventions;

2. IAEA missions to Slovenia;

3. Technical cooperation, including attendance of Slovenian experts on IAEA sponsored seminars and training courses, scholarship, scientific visits and research contracts.

Furthermore, Slovenia cooperates with other international organizations, such as the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA — full member) and the European Union. Cooperation is also institutionalized through membership in associations, such as the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), the Network of Regulators of Countries with Small Nuclear Programmes (NERS) and the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA).

There is also cooperation through multilateral and bilateral international agreements. Krško NPP is also a member of WANO.

Until 2008, Slovenia did not have any dedicated undergraduate nuclear programmes, yet a few subjects related to the nuclear field were available at some universities. Domestically, those who were interested in nuclear engineering typically attended the University of Ljubljana (IJS and Faculty for Mathematics and Physics) or the University of Maribor (Faculty for Civil Engineering). Both graduate programmes are ongoing, and a number of nuclear experts have graduated from these programmes. The nuclear graduate programme of the University of Ljubljana is also a member of the European Nuclear Engineering Education Network (ENEN).

In 2007, the Faculty of Energy Technology was established at the University of Maribor, and the educational process started in the academic year 2008–2009. Altogether, more than 180 students signed up in the first academic year. The faculty offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

In addition to academic institutions, other expert institutions offer educational services in the field of nuclear technology. The most prominent includes the Nuclear Training Centre (ICJT), which is part of IJS. Its basic activities are Krško NPP staff training, radiation protection training, organization of international seminars and public information about nuclear technology.

One of the fundamental safety principles of the Ionizing Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act is the publicity principle. The SNSA issues information on its activities to the public, including regulatory decisions and newsletters on safety matters relevant to the industry. The SNSA publishes a complete list of modifications implemented at Krško NPP, which contains the date and the description of the modification. The SNSA implements stakeholder communication as a process to ensure the public is routinely informed of its decisions.

1. Regulatory authority(s)

In 1987, the Slovenian regulatory body was established by the Act on Amendments to the Act on Organization and Competence of the Regulatory Bodies and Republican Organizations and Independent Professional Services of the Slovenian Government.

Over the years, the organizational structure and linkages with other administrative bodies or ministries have changed, becoming more specific in function in recent years.

3.1.1.1. Activity of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration

3.1.1.2. Organization of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration