CATAPULT at the high-level national conference “The Future is Nuclear” in Slovenia

On 7 September 2026, CATAPULT researcher Tanja Perko (SCK CEN) participated in the high-level conference “The Future is Nuclear – A New Nuclear Era: Europe & Slovenia”, held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

The conference represented an important national forum for discussing Slovenia’s nuclear-energy future, at a time when the country is considering major strategic decisions concerning new nuclear capacity, including the proposed JEK2 nuclear power plant and the potential future deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

The event brought together senior Slovenian and European policymakers, nuclear-industry leaders, technology developers and researchers. Participants included representatives of the Slovenian Government, including Minister Jernej Vrtovec, the European Commission, nucleareurope, Calogena, newcleo, Marvel Fusion and Cosylab, alongside leading Slovenian experts and decision-makers.

Tanja Perko participated in the panel “New Nuclear Technologies”, together with Mark Pleško (Cosylab), Saskia Horsch (Marvel Fusion) and Iztok Tiselj (University of Ljubljana/Jožef Stefan Institute). Within a discussion largely focused on technological developments and the future role of advanced nuclear technologies, she brought attention to their societal and governance dimensions and to the role of public and stakeholder participation in decision-making.

Drawing on research conducted within CATAPULT, Tanja highlighted that planning for SMRs requires attention not only to technological and economic questions, but also to how decisions are made and how public and stakeholder participation is integrated into Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). CATAPULT research shows the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for different perspectives, concerns and knowledge to enter the assessment process, including discussion of alternatives, uncertainties and potential environmental and societal impacts.

She emphasised that public participation should not be understood as a means of generating acceptance for a predetermined technological choice. Rather, meaningful participation can contribute to the quality and legitimacy of the assessment process and to more transparent, robust and justifiable subsequent decisions.

CATAPULT’s presence at this high-level national event provided an important opportunity to bring research on the societal dimensions of SMR deployment and meaningful participation in EIA directly into Slovenia’s ongoing debate about future nuclear-energy choices.

Full video recording: Watch the full conference