Krško NPP is Expected to Produce Electrical Energy Again at the End of the Week

Last week, we moved 121 fuel elements from the spent fuel pool back into the reactor vessel; following the plans, we are continuing the preparations for restarting the power plant. The primary coolant circuit is closed and refilled with water, and the primary coolant pumps are started; the primary system heating has begun, and the reactor start-up will follow. The start-up will take place when the authorized organizations authorized by the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) issue a positive opinion after independent monitoring of activities. We plan to have the first kilowatt-hours of electrical energy generated by the end of the week.

The SNSA received the report on the analysis carried out after the deviation (i.e., the plant shutdown) along with the supporting study and confirmed that the Krško NPP implemented all necessary as well as expected measures (replaced both pipelines that were exposed to similar impacts) and thereby met the prerequisites for safe operation.

The Krško NPP has already begun to conclude contracts for metallographic research that will provide the direct cause of the failure, as well as for thermohydraulic and mechanical analyses of both pipelines to determine the mechanism that caused the failure of the pipeline, and to analyze the root cause. The Krško NPP’s goal is to complete all examinations within one year. Professional organizations authorized by the SNSA for individual areas will review the analyses.