04/06/2008 - 19:35:53
     The European Commission has issued an alert over an incident at a nuclear power plant in Slovenia.
     The EU's executive body says it was informed by Slovene authorities about a problem with the primary cooling system of the Krsko nuclear plant in the southwest of the country.
     It says the plant was implementing a safe shutdown procedure and no discharge into the environment has been immediately detected.

    * Cooling problem forces closure of Slovenia's only nuclear power plant
    * Slovene nuclear watchdog says it is safety precaution, no environmental impact
    * All European Union nations have been told about the incident 

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) -- A reactor at Slovenia's only nuclear power plant was being shut down Wednesday after a water leak, but there was no danger to people or the environment, the country's nuclear watchdog said.
     A statement from the Nuclear Safety Administration said the reactor at the Krsko power plant was being shut down as a precaution so that technicians can inspect the cause of the problem.
     "There has been no impact on the environment and none is expected" following the Wednesday afternoon leak, the statement said. "The event did not affect employees, the nearby population or the environment."
     The European Union's executive body said Slovene authorities had reported a problem with the plant's primary cooling system.
     "A loss of coolant has occurred in the primary cooling system," said the statement from the European Commission.
     The information was immediately passed on to all 27 EU nations and an emergency team at the EU's energy directorate was placed on alert.
     The Krsko nuclear power plant in southwestern Slovenia has been in operation for about 20 years, according to its Web site. The facility generates about 5 billion kilowatts of electricity a year, or roughly 40% of Slovenia's energy needs, its operators said.

     The Krsko nuclear plant is located in south-western Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia.
     Slovenia's only nuclear power plant was shut down on Wednesday because of a water leak but there has been no impact on the environment, Slovenian officials said.
     "The plant was shut down and the leakage was located already. Now the plant will have to cool down for a day or so before the leakage can be repaired," Andrej Stritar, head of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration, told Reuters.
     "I expect it will be shut down for a few days. However, there is no impact on the environment, the matter is under control," he added.
     The Krsko nuclear plant, which is jointly owned by Slovenia and its neighbour Croatia, is located in south-western Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia.
     The European Commission said its emergency response system ECURIE had received an alert message from Slovenia at 1538 GMT.
     "A loss of coolant has occurred in the primary cooling system of the Krsko nuclear power plant," a statement said.
     At the time the EU statement was issued, the nuclear power plant was "proceeding to the safe shut-down procedure".
     "At this point in time, no discharge to the environment has been identified," it added.
     The Commission had passed this information to all EU member states, using ECURIE, an early warning system used in the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency.