Conference Agenda

Making the promise of New Nuclear a reality requires industrial challenge with design industrialization and supply chain development to deliver on time and on budget critical components.

Framatome is ready to support these endeavors.

To avoid uncertainties in managing such important projects, Framatome has standardized components manufacturing and increased its manufacturing capabilities in order to be able to serve the market demand.

- Re-localization of key components’ manufacturing

- Increase of manufacturing capacities

- Flexibility optimization

With 14 EPRs either in operation or under construction, Framatome addresses the industry challenge going standard. Standardization plus our commitment to deliver every year components for up to 3.5GWe of new nuclear is a powerful lever to de-risk projects and ease financing of new nuclear programs.

With proven technology, full European IP, a qualified supply chain, and available capabilities, Framatome is ready to deliver Large Size Reactors and SMRs nuclear programs for both new build projects as well as long term operations needs.

The Republic of Slovenia is strategically committed to the decarbonization of its energy sector and to complementing existing and planned nuclear capacities. In this context, GEN energija is actively exploring the deployment potential of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as part of its long-term strategy. In light of increasing electricity demand driven by electrification trends and the need for stable, low-carbon generation, SMRs are considered a complementary solution to large-scale nuclear and renewable energy sources.

The objective of this study was to develop an expertly justified and evidence-based set of potentially suitable sites that meet technological, environmental, spatial, and safety requirements for the deployment of SMRs across the territory of Slovenia.

The site selection methodology is based on a multi-stage approach comprising suitability analysis, vulnerability assessment, and comparative site adequacy assessment. The approach ensures transparency in decision-making and establishes a reproducible decision-support framework.

A key element of the methodology is the clear definition of criteria used to exclude unsuitable locations, enable comparative evaluation of suitable areas, and rank the most appropriate sites. The model relies exclusively on publicly available datasets; therefore, its accuracy depends on the quality, resolution, and availability of data compatible with GIS-based analysis.

In the first phase, a suitability analysis was conducted using exclusionary criteria derived from IAEA safety guide SSG-35, technological requirements of planned nuclear facilities, and established international siting practices in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Areas not meeting key technological and safety requirements for SMR deployment were excluded from further consideration. The principal technological and safety-related exclusion criteria include the availability of sufficient cooling water resources, appropriate terrain characteristics, seismic safety conditions, adequate distance from active faults, and suitable geological conditions.

In the second phase, a vulnerability assessment was performed, encompassing environmental and spatial vulnerability. Environmental exclusion criteria eliminate water protection zones, flood-prone areas, protected natural areas including Natura 2000 sites, forest reserves, and cultural heritage areas. Spatial and external hazard criteria exclude outstanding landscape areas, proximity to airports, defence-related zones, and gas fields.

In the third phase, a comparative site adequacy assessment was conducted for all locations that satisfied technological, safety, environmental, and spatial requirements. Additional criteria included accessibility to cooling water, feasibility of connection to the electricity transmission network, transport accessibility, geological characteristics, flood risk implications, impacts on nature and cultural heritage, population density, presence of brownfield areas, distance from settlements, and proximity to facilities posing potential external hazards. The evaluated locations were compared descriptively and tabular based on developed GIS models, taking into account the presence of specific constraints and associated development challenges.

In the final phase, all potentially suitable sites were ranked according to the number and significance of key constraints affecting their overall feasibility.

The results of the study include descriptions of candidate locations, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. These descriptions incorporate key findings from the suitability and vulnerability analyses, including identified warnings related to environmental sensitivity, spatial constraints, surrounding land use, settlement structure, development potential, and the feasibility of deploying multiple units. For each location, the study outlines the anticipated adaptations, additional investigation and verification studies required to support further development.

A comparative matrix was developed to illustrate the technical and spatial feasibility of siting different SMR designs/configurations at each location, considering site size, constraints, and the potential for phased deployment of multiple reactor units.

The highest-ranked sites were presented separately, accompanied by location-specific recommendations for subsequent planning phases. The best-ranked locations are further examined in greater detail, including a SWOT analysis for each, providing a structured assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential risks.

The presented methodology provides a transparent, reproducible, and professionally grounded framework for subsequent planning stages and serves as a robust basis for strategic decision-making regarding the siting of SMRs in Slovenia. The results of the study, including the spatial distribution, ranking outcomes, comparative matrices, and detailed analyses of the leading candidate sites, will be presented and discussed.