Slovenia's government on Tuesday ordered the state-owned power board Gen Energija to increase its regular payments into the fund for the future decommissioning of the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant (NEK) and radioactive waste disposal, Croatian state agency reported citing local media.

The payments would be increased “from €4.80 to €12.00 per megawatt hour of power,” Hina said, citing Slovenia’s state agency STA, without clarifying. “That would mean that Gen Energija would be obliged to pay €36 million into the fund each year,” Hina said, without clarifying how is this different from the previous rate.

“Given that Gen Energija plans a net profit of €73 million this year and that the wholesale price of electricity skyrocketed this year by 200 percent, the planned increase in contributions for the decommissioning and storage of waste, should not significantly impact Gen Energija’s profit,” Hina cited the government as saying.

The government added that the current amount of contributions would not suffice to cover the costs of decommissioning the plant and waste storage.

Krsko, the only nuclear power plant built by Yugoslavia before the country’s dissolution, is located in Slovenia near the Croatian border, and is co-owned and run by Croatia and Slovenia and their respective state-owned power boards, HEP and Gen Energija. Commissioned in 1983, it is expected to reach the end of its lifespan in 2023.

Slovenia’s share of the cost of its decommissioning is estimated at €1.16 billion.