Krško - Slovenia's only nuclear power station will be taken off the grid for month-long scheduled repairs on Friday night. The Krško-based plant has been operating for 513 consecutive days, often at full capacity to compensate for a lower output by hydro plants caused by drought. The repairs will increase the plant's capacity by about 10 megawatts.

Estimated at EUR 90-100 million, the cost of the repairs will be covered by the Krško Nucler Power Plant's (NEK) own funds.

This round of scheduled repairs, expected to conclude on 2 November, was the last one planned in the initially planned 40-year life span of the state-owned NEK and marks the start of the 20-year life span extension.

The repairs entail over 4,000 procedures, including the replacement of nearly half of the nuclear fuel, maintenance work and parts replacement, among other things, NEK's chairman of the management board Stane Rožman told the press in Krško on Friday.

The spent fuel will continue to be stored at NEK until an appropriate disposal facility is built. A dry new storage at the power plant is to be completed this year.

NEK provides about a fifth of Slovenia's power and the shortfall caused by the repairs will be covered by the country's hydro power plants, and the thermal power plant Brestanica will increase production if necessary as well.

No problems are expected in terms of national energy supply during the 32-day repairs, said Rožman, also taking the opportunity to look back over the course of the power plant's history.

After four decades of commercial operations, NEK is at a much higher technological and security level then it was when it was first launched, he said. This means that risks are similar to the most modern nuclear power plants around the world.

Moreover, NEK's capacity was increased from 4.5 terrawatt hours to 5.6 terrawatt hours over the past 40 years. This was achieved through optimisation of fuel cycles and constant upgrades of the equipment as well as the plant's systems, optimisation of work processes and the dedication of its employees, said Rožman.

Throughout its history, NEK operated without violating any environmental standards, said Rožman, adding that the plant had also operated at full capacity in extreme conditions, most notably during this summer, when Slovenia was hit by extreme heat and drought.

Rožman also said that investment cooperation between Slovenia and Croatia, which owns half of NEK, had been very good. In the early years, up to EUR 20 million were invested in the plant annually, whereas now the figure has reached EUR 40 million.

At the international level, the power plant ranks high, having acquired the highest marks among operating nuclear power plants, said Rožman.

The next round of scheduled repair works is planned for 2024.