Expert support to interested parties
Expert support tasks include the preparation and completion of the strategic plans, documents, reports and inspections that Slovenia is obliged to provide and update.
We provide state-run institutions, active in the field of the use of nuclear energy and radiation sources, with all the data they require, provide reports, and offer expert support for strategic decisions and the planning of long-term radioactive waste and spent fuel management. We are also responsible for maintaining and supplementing knowledge, and for developing staff in the field of radioactive waste management.
Among other documents, ARAO draws up the following:
- the expert basis for the national RW management strategy. The current strategy is contained in the Resolution on the National Programme for Managing Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel 2016-2025.
- We work with the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) to compile reports under Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. Reports are prepared every three years. The first report was prepared in 2015 and the second in 2018.
- We work with the SNSA to compile Annual reports on Radiation and Nuclear Safety in the Republic of Slovenia.
- The revisions of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (Krško NPP) Decommissioning Program and the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program that are periodically compiled jointly by Croatia and Slovenia under the provisions of Article 10 of the Treaty between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the regulation of status and other legal relations regarding investment in and the exploitation and decommissioning of Krško nuclear power plant (Intergovernmental Treaty, Official Gazette of the RS-international treaties, Nr. 23/2003).
- Program razgradnje Nuklearne elektrarne Krško (NEK) in Program odlaganja radioaktivnih odpadkov in izrabljenega goriva (IG), ki ga skladno z zahtevami 10. člena Pogodbe med Vlado Republike Slovenije in Vlado Republike Hrvaške o ureditvi statusnih in drugih pravnih razmerij, povezanih z vlaganjem v NEK, njenim izkoriščenjem in razgradnjo (Ur. l. RS 23/2003) (meddržavna pogodba) periodično skupaj pripravljata Republika Hrvaška in Republika Slovenija.
Revisions of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program
The Intergovernmental Treaty provides that the appointed expert organisations from Slovenia and Croatia shall at least every five years draft a Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program.
In accordance with the provisions of the Intergovernmental Treaty, the first revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program (DP Rev. 1) was prepared in 2004 and approved at the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Commission for the Monitoring of the Implementation of the Intergovernmental Treaty in 2005. The Slovenian government was apprised in Decision Nr. 311-01/2001-21of DP Rev. 1, which was drafted as an independent document that combined the two programmes, as was the Croatian parliament, which gave prior consent of adoption (Narodne novine, Nr. 175/04). The Program of NPP Krško Decommissioning and SF&LILW Disposal from 2004 remained the document in force until a new revised version was adopted in July 2020.
From April 2005, under the first revision of the Program of NPP Krško Decommissioning and SF&LILW Disposal, which set the level of the contribution for the decommissioning of NEK and the disposal of RW and SF, ELES GEN, d.o.o. began paying a contribution of 0.003 EUR/kWh of electricity produced at Krško NPP and sold in Slovenia into the Fund for Financing the Decommissioning of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant and the Disposal of Radioactive Waste from the Krško NPP. These payments were taken over by GEN energija, d.o.o. in July 2006 (i.e. when ELES GEN d.o.o. was reorganised as GEN energija, d.o.o.).
Ordinance on the Method of Payment of Funds for Financing the Krško Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal (Narodne novine, 50/06, 77/06, in force until 30 December 2008) and the Ordinance on the Amount, Deadlines and Method of Payment of Funds for Financing the Krško Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal (Narodne novine, 155/08, in force from 30 December 2008) specified the obligation of the Croatian owner of NEK, Hrvatska elektroprivreda d.d. (HEP) to pay EUR 14.25 million per year into the Fund for financing the decommissioning of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant and the disposal of NEK radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel (Fond NEK), applying the Croatian National Bank’s average exchange rate for the Croatian kuna on the day of payment.
Contributions to the fund in Slovenia and Croatia have notchanged since the day of adoption. With the adoption of the Third revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and Third revision of the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program in July 2020 regular annual contributions to both funds will be updated accordingly.
Preparation of the second revision of the Program of NPP Krško Decommissioning and SF&LILW Disposal began after the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Commission in 2008, which charged the expert organisations ARAO from Slovenia and the Special Waste Agency (APO) in Croatia with preparing the document. The first version of the document was prepared in June 2010 and the second version in February 2011. The Intergovernmental Commission did not discuss or approve these documents.
The Intergovernmental Commission met again in July 2015 and was informed of the status of the preparation of the second revision of the Program of NPP Krško Decommissioning and SF&LILW Disposal. At this session the Commission decided to halt all activities relating to the preparation of this document and to immediately proceed to the drafting of the third revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and third revision of the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program. The Intergovernmental Commission charged the expert organisations referred to in Article 10 of the Intergovernmental Treaty with drafting the terms of reference for the preparation of the revision of the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program in cooperation with Krško NPP. The expert organisations referred to in Article 10 of the Intergovernmental Treaty are also charged with drafting the terms of reference for the preparation of the revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program in collaboration with Krško NPP. Pursuant to a decision of the Intergovernmental Commission, the Treaty signatories each authorised their expert organisations (ARAO from Slovenia and Fond NEK from Croatia) to prepare both programs in accordance with the Intergovernmental Treaty.
At the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Commission in November 2017, it was decided that the two expert organisations, Slovenia’s ARAO and Croatia’s Fond NEK had, in cooperation with Krško NPP, prepared new coordinated terms of reference at the technical level for the decommissioning of Krško NPP and the disposal of radioactive waste from Krško NPP. The Intergovernmental Commission approved both sets of terms of reference and charged ARAO and Fond NEK with collaborating with Krško NPP on the drafting of a third revision of the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program. At the same time, it charged Krško NPP with drafting the third revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program in collaboration with ARAO and Fond NEK.
At its 12th session in January 2019, the Intergovernmental Commission was apprised of the progress being made in the drafting of the third revision of the Krško NPP Decommissioning Program and the Krško NPP Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Disposal Program, and charged the expert organisations with the task of preparing both programs, making additional cost optimisations and completing the third revision.
The Intergovernmental Commission was then apprised of the third revisions of both programs and their executive summaries at its 13th session in September 2019. It decided that both programs should be forwarded for further adoption procedures in Slovenia and Croatia.
On its 14th session in July 2020, Intergovernmental Commission adopted the third revision of the Programme for the Decommissioning of NEK and the Programme for the Disposal of RAW and SF from NEK.
V skladu s sklepom Vlade Republike Slovenije št. 306-106/2021/5 iz januarja 2022, GEN energija, d.o.o., s 1. 1. 2022 vplačuje v Sklad za financiranje razgradnje Nuklearne elektrarne Krško in odlaganja radioaktivnih odpadkov iz Nuklearne elektrarne Krško znesek v višini 12,0 EUR/MWh.
By a decision of the Slovenian Government, the Slovenian electrical power company GEN energija, d.o.o. should continue to contribute into the Slovenian fund for financing one half of the decommissioning and spent fuel and radioactive waste disposal with increased payments from the previous value of 3.0 euro per MWhe to 4.88 euro per MWhe starting 1 August 2020 until the next revision of the Programmes.