Deep Isolation to study deep borehole disposal in Slovenia

The study will examine whether a deep borehole repository could dispose of spent fuel from Slovenia’s TRIGA II research reactor at the Josef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana. The 1960s-era reactor, one of 66 of its kind worldwide, produces radioactive isotopes for medical research and for training. It is scheduled to be shut down in 2043.

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“We are very interested in the potential for deep boreholes to provide a safe disposal solution for Slovenia’s spent nuclear fuel at a lower cost than in a mined repository,” said Leon Kegel, ARAO head of Planning and Development.  “We are already studying this at the Krško nuclear plant as part of a separate project with Deep Isolation and other ERDO members. The TRIGA II project gives ARAO the opportunity to evaluate the potential for Slovenia’s research reactor fuel.”