Operations at Slovenia's Krško nuclear power plant could resume in November

Slovenia's only nuclear power plant, which also supplies electricity to neighboring Croatia, could resume operations this month, according to the country's government. The plant has been shut down since early October due to a leak at the primary-circuit interface.

Electricity grids and markets in Slovenia and Croatia have had to make do without supplies from the Krško nuclear power plant for almost a month. The plant is located in Slovenia, close to the border between the two countries. The plant has been in an unplanned outage since the first week of October. The outage was caused by a leak in the primary circuit inside the containment building, although according to the operator, the leakage did not exceed the limits set out in the unit's technical specifications.

"The damaged section of piping is currently being replaced with a new one,"the Slovenian government said, according to Reuters, adding that other sections of the primary circuit would also be replaced as a precaution.

According to the Slovenian government, the country's nuclear regulator is overseeing the situation and the repairs. In addition, since the plant was shut down, its operator has been in close contact with international institutions. The Krško nuclear power plant has one unit with an installed capacity of 700 MW.

"If the repair work is carried out properly, all the necessary tests are successfully completed and the required permits are obtained ... we expect the plant to resume operations in November," the government said.

The plant, which began commercial operation in early 1983, is nearing the end of its originally planned operating life. However, earlier this year, it completed an environmental impact assessment and received the safety permit required to extend its operation until 2043. Plans also include adding a new unit to the plant.