On August 13, 2024, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) participated in a bilateral meeting with the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Slovenia is currently analyzing the potential for expanding its nuclear power capacity by considering possible technologies ranging from large power reactors to small modular reactors (SMRs). The meeting facilitated discussions in its preparations to receive applications for new nuclear power plants if the Slovenian government makes the decision to expand its nuclear power program.
The meeting participants included: Ms. Shannon Doane and Mr. Randy Howell from NRC; Dr. Charles Miller subject matter expert from the NRC’s contractor, Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM); and Mr. Tomaz Nemac, Head, Analyses and Licensing Section, Nuclear Safety Division, SNSA and his staff.
The discussions focused on how the NRC is modernizing its processes for the licensing of advanced reactors, including SMRs. There were additional discussions about SNSA’s requests for continued support from NRC. The NRC indicated that they would continue the dialog with SNSA about the requests to determine which cooperation needs can be met in the future.