Technical problem shuts down Slovenian nuclear plant

Slovenia's only nuclear plant Krsko said Thursday it has initiated a preventive shutdown over technical problems in the system for monitoring the temperature.

"We have detected technical problems in the system for monitoring the temperature of the primal reactor's cooling," the Krsko nuclear plant said in a statement.

It added that "the technical problem has no impact at all on the plant's safety."

"The shutdown is expected to last only 24 hours," the plant, situated 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of capital Ljubljana, said.

Thursday's shutdown comes just two weeks after the plant had been shut down for its regular maintainance after an 18-month production cycle.

The Krsko power plant -- jointly built with Croatia in 1984 when both were part of the former Yugoslavia -- generates about 40 percent of the EU country's electricity production.