Despite undergoing a scheduled downtime this year, Slovenia’s sole nuclear power plant, Krsko, is on track to finish 2025 with electricity production exceeding expectations. Total output is projected to reach around 5.5 TWh, while forecasts for next year — when no regular maintenance shutdown is planned — point to generation surpassing 6 TWh delivered to the network. Following this year’s overhaul, the plant has already recorded more than a month of uninterrupted operation at full capacity, and management expects stable performance throughout 2026, setting the stage for record-high annual generation.
With this level of output, Krsko is expected to cover roughly one fifth of Slovenia’s electricity demand and around 15% of consumption in Croatia, highlighting its strategic importance for both countries’ electricity systems.
Although no downtime is planned for next year, the operator anticipates a busy investment cycle, with capital spending planned and preparatory work underway for the next regular maintenance shutdown in 2027. Significant attention will also be given to long-term fuel and waste management, including preparations for transferring spent nuclear fuel to dry storage in 2029 and relocating low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste to a permanent repository at Vrbina toward the end of 2027 or in 2028.
In parallel, the plant’s supervisory board has approved preliminary studies to assess whether the facility’s operating life could be extended by 20 years, from the currently planned 60 years to 80. These analyses are expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and will inform future decisions on the plant’s long-term role.
Plant management notes that preparations for the previous lifetime extension, from 40 to 60 years, began as early as 2003. Against this backdrop, discussions about operation beyond 2043, when the current license expires, are considered timely rather than premature.
