Korean nuclear reactor maker KHNP is no longer in contention to build a second unit at Slovenia's nuclear power station, narrowing the selection to EDF of France and US provider Westinghouse, the state-run company that owns the Krško power station has revealed.

Even though the National Assembly abandoned its plan to call a consultative referendum on the new reactor amid a bitter controversy last year, preparations for the project continue.

Gen Energija, the company that runs the project, invited all three providers to prepare a feasibility study, having previously determined that the three are suitable because Slovenia does not want Chinese or Russian nuclear technology.

EDF and Westinghouse have decided to join the study and have already signed agreements to this effect, while KHNP has informed Gen Energija that it is exiting the project, managing director Bruno Glaser told reporters on 30 January.

The move means that instead of eight potential reactor types, there are only three: Westinghouse's pressurised reactor AP 1000, a 1,000 MW reactor, and EDF's more powerful European pressurised reactors EPR 1200 and EPR 1650.

Gen Energija director general Dejan Paravan says competition is still sufficient while the complexity of the selection is being reduced. The price estimate, between €9.3 billion and €15.4 billion, remains the same as well.

Use of small modular reactors explored

Gen Energija has also started exploring the use of small modular reactors (SMRs), which are much smaller and theoretically faster to build, but have not yet been commercially deployed at scale. This project is only partially related to Krško 2 and the two are not seen as mutually exclusive.

According to Paravan, the company sent exploratory letters to 12 providers worldwide in line with the recently confirmed reform National Climate and Energy Plan that includes one scenario under which an 250 MW SMR could be built by 2050.

These twelve providers are currently developing 14 different technologies that are farthest along towards commercial deployment.

This year the company plans to conduct a preliminary study that will include the identification of potential designs and locations and serve as the basis for a subsequent feasibility study, according to Gen Energija's chief SMR engineer Gregor Srpčič.

Citing a recent study by the International Energy Agency, Paravan said the first commercial SMRs will be available around 2030 and the price per kilowatt is expected to be double that of traditional reactors, but serial production is expected to lead to price parity by about 2050.

Given that SMRs are an evolving technology, Paravan said Slovenia should be under no pressure to deploy such reactors before 2040, but if innovation speeds up, the pace could be accelerated.

A US consultancy is currently drawing up a study of potential locations for SMRs. Multiple media reports suggest the locations of existing thermal power plants in Šoštanj and Brestanica, the abandoned thermal power plant in Trbovlje, one of the existing steel plants, or Beričevo on the outskirts of Ljubljana are considered as prime potential locations.