Krsko

Krško hosts the nuclear reactor that powers two countries. The Krško Nuclear Power Plant, operational since 1983, generates 37% of Slovenia's electricity and 16% of Croatia's—a unique cross-border arrangement where a single facility provides baseload power to successor states of Yugoslavia. Gen Energija (Slovenian) and Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (Croatian) co-own the plant equally.

The Westinghouse pressurized water reactor was Yugoslavia's only nuclear power station. Post-independence negotiations maintained joint operation rather than forcing partition of an indivisible asset. Slovenia hosts the facility; Croatia receives half the output. The arrangement demonstrates how infrastructure dependencies survive political divorces—neither country could afford to build replacement capacity.

Now Krško 2 enters planning. Feasibility studies completed in August 2025 evaluated Westinghouse AP1000 and EDF EPR reactors for a second unit. Slovenia frames the expansion as regional energy security, positioning Krško as Central Europe's nuclear hub. The local municipality receives €5 million annually in compensation for hosting the low- and intermediate-level waste repository at Vrbina.

By 2026, Krško will likely advance through regulatory approvals toward a second reactor. The logic is strategic: nuclear power provides carbon-free baseload that renewables cannot reliably match. For Slovenia—too small for energy autarky—nuclear represents disproportionate influence in regional energy markets.