Slovenian Environment and Energy Minister Bojan Kumer on Wednesday again dismissed allegations from the conservative opposition about a delay in the planned construction of the new nuclear power plant in Krško. During a meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control in the House of Representatives, he pointed out that commissioning in 2035, as envisaged under the previous government, was unrealistic.
The committee meeting was convened by Christian Democratic MP and former infrastructure minister Jernej Vrtovec. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Infrastructure gave the go-ahead for the second nuclear power plant project in 2021. In March 2022, shortly before the end of the reign of the former centre-right cabinet, the spatial planning process also started. Vrtovec now accuses the current left-liberal government of “procrastinating” in the project and calls for the process to be speeded up. Motions in this regard, including a formal call on the government to speed up the spatial planning process and report quarterly to Parliament on the progress of projects, were rejected by a majority at the meeting.
The original schedule was unrealistic
Minister Kumer, meanwhile, assured that the procedures had not been delayed. Among other things, he pointed to a number of shortcomings under the previous cabinet. In the original planning, neither the length of the regional planning procedure nor the construction time had been realistically estimated, he explained. “We want to plan responsibly and realistically. If we get criticized for it, we will,” Kumer said. The goal is a financially and technologically sound schedule, he added.
Investors are also tempering expectations. “Based on current information, it is unrealistic that the project can be completed before the end of 2035,” said Gen Energiya Director General Dejan Paravan. The company is only now conducting discussions with potential suppliers and is obtaining concrete information about the expected investment costs and construction time. In contrast, the original schedule would have considered only publicly available information, he explained.
Minister: “Slovenia is definitely a nuclear energy country”
“Slovenia is definitely a nuclear energy country and we must do everything we can to keep it that way. This energy source is reliable, safe and competitive,” said the minister. At the same time, he stressed that other options should be kept open. According to Kumer, the new national energy and climate plan also includes a scenario for a 100 percent energy supply from renewable sources. “We must provide citizens with alternatives,” he said, referring to several EU countries, including Austria, focusing on renewable energy.
Source: Krone
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