Q & A

In the past year (2023), we started the construction of infrastructure facilities, which are completed in 2024. In addition, we established physical protection of the nuclear facility during construction and operation. In 2024, we are planning to continue the construction of the nuclear part.

The planned phases of the construction of the LILW disposal site are as follows;

in 2024, 2025 and 2026 we are planning the construction of administrative and service facility, the construction of the retaining wall of the disposal silo (diaphragm), the excavation of the disposal silo and the execution of all concrete works within the disposal silo, including stairs, are planned. Foundations are also planned for the beginning of the assembly of the hall. Construction of the technological facility will take place in 2025 and 2026.

At the end of 2025 or at the beginning of 2026 we are planning the start the construction of the hall above the silo and the delivery and installation of the gantry lift, and in 2027 the completion of construction and the start of trial operation.

Financial resources for the construction of the LILW disposal facility are provided partly from the integral budget of the Republic of Slovenia, and to a greater extent from a dedicated budget item, which is paid into by the Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia to finance the decommissioning of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant and the disposal of radioactive waste and spent fuel from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant. The fund collects contributions paid by NEK owners from the electricity sold. Funds from the Fund are earmarked for the costs of handling radioactive waste generated in the NPP and its disposal and decommissioning of the NPP.

Funds are divided between the dedicated and integral parts of the budget according to the estimated amount of disposed waste. Discarded radioactive waste from the NPP is financed from a dedicated budget item, while other disposed waste generated in industry, medicine and research activities is financed from an integral part of the budget. Approximately 90% of the waste deposited in the facility will be generated in NEK NPP, and 10% in other institutions.

This year (2024) we completed the construction of infrastructure facilities (non-nuclear part), established physical security, ceremonially laid the foundation stone for the LILIW disposal facility, and in the fall we plan to start the construction of the nuclear facility. We will continue with monitoring at the location and with the preparation of procedures, instructions and other documents necessary for the start of trial operation.

With this construction we contribute to the realization of the strategic goal of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

Like other countries across the world, Slovenia carries out socially and economically useful activities that use radioactive materials that in turn generate radioactive waste. Although the quantities of this waste are relatively small and manageable in comparison with the quantities of other waste, steps have to be taken to ensure that the waste does not contaminate the environment or endanger human health and the health of other living organisms now and in the future.

As a permanent solution, LILW disposal facility is necessary, as this is the only way to ensure conditions for long-term management of low- and medium-level radioactive waste in Slovenia.

After construction, we plan to operate disposal facility until 2058 (according to the current scenario, NEK NPP will end operation in 2043). After abandoning disposal activities, the decommissioning of the non-disposable part will begin in 2058. We plan to close the facility in 2059. After closure we are planning long-term monitoring and maintenance presumably for another 300 years. The operation can be extended if necessary.

Disposal site will cover around six hectares and comprise:

• an administration and service building,
• a technological facility,
• a silo,
• a hall above the silo,
• road and utilities infrastructure,
• outside areas.

Work at the construction site started in August last year, and as part of the infrastructural arrangement, we carried out the rehabilitation of the access road to the disposal construction site with sidewalks, a bicycle path with associated connections and public lighting, as well as the arrangement of water supply, telecommunications and electricity. We also established physical and technical protection of the nuclear facility.

The construction will include the construction of a technological and administrative service facility, the construction of a disposal silo, a hall above the silo, and the installation of a gantry lift.

It is a near-surface disposal site with a disposal unit in the form of a silo. The disposal silo will have an internal diameter of just over 27 meters and will be 56 meters deep. All waste will be placed in 990 concrete containers, which is sufficient for the entire planned amount of radioactive waste produced in Slovenia until the end of the operation of the NPP (2043). The concrete containers will be placed in the disposal silo using a gantry lift. It will be possible to deposit 10 layers of waste, in each layer there will be 99 containers. The space between the containers will be filled with sealing material. When the silo is full, it will be closed with a concrete cover and a thick layer of clay. The deposited waste will thus be protected by a multi-barrier system of artificial and natural barriers. Such a system is internationally recognized as appropriate, and a facility built in this way has a negligible impact on people and the environment, which was proven by extensive safety analyses in the process of obtaining environmental approval, construction approval and a building permit.

The LILW disposal facility in Vrbina will accept half of all LILW generated during the operation and decommissioning of the NEK NPP (the remaining half is Croatian waste, as the NPP is jointly owned by Slovenia and Croatia) and all institutional radioactive waste, i.e. radioactive waste from industry, medicine and research from Slovenia. Some waste is also planned from the decommissioning of the facility.

In accordance with the decision of the International Commission from 2019, a common solution for disposal in the Slovenian LILW disposal facility is currently not possible.

In the RW management processwe use the terms storageanddisposal. Storage istemporary, disposal is permanent solution.

RW is under continuous surveillance for a certain amount of time in the storage facility. It is then removed from the storage facility, which is subsequently closed and decommissioned. During storage, RW can be treated and split into its radioactive and non-radioactive parts. The radioactive part is re-packed and stored, while the non-radioactive part is removed and disposed of as municipal waste (after government approval). This enables us to reduce the required RW storage volumes.

The RW is disposed of permanently, with no plans for further removal. Surveillance for several decades after closure is planned at the disposal facility, after which active surveillance is no longer required.

As they are physically different facilities, the requirements of a storage facility differ from those of a disposal facility in terms of research, facility location, the waste reception process, waste conditioning, environmental impact assessment and safety analyses.The RW storage facility is active throughout its existence, the waste containers are under continuous active surveillance, and additional activities to improve safety or reduce the amount of space that the waste occupies in the facility are possible

During disposal, the appropriate isolation of RW from the environment outside the disposal facility is planned. When the planned capacity of the disposal facility is reached, the remaining space will be filled with fillers that provide extra insulation (e.g. mortar, concrete, Betonit, sand). Near-surface disposal facilities are closed with a reinforced concrete slab, followed by an insulation layer (geomembrane, gravel, clay, etc.). They are then finished with a layer of earth and low vegetation. In below-ground and near-surface disposal facilities, access shafts and tunnels are filled as required.