Slovenia's parliament voted on October 24 to cancel the consultative referendum on the construction of a second nuclear reactor at the Krsko power plant, scheduled for November 24, news agency STA reported.

The now-cancelled referendum was intended to gauge public support for the Jek 2 project, with estimated costs ranging from €9.3bn to €15.4bn. The NPP Krsko, a joint venture between Slovenia's Gen Energija and Croatia's HEP, currently supplies around 20% of Slovenia's electricity needs.

The motion was passed with 60 MPs in favour, one against, and one abstention in the 90-seat legislature.

On October 22, the speaker of parliament, Urska Klakocar Zupancic, unveiled a procedural plan to formally annul the referendum. This plan followed an agreement among parliamentary parties to withdraw the proposal.

The ruling coalition, consisting of the Freedom Movement, Social Democrats (SocDems) and the Left, reached a consensus to cancel the referendum, citing a lack of sufficient public information on the project. The initiative to scrap the vote was originally put forward by the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS).

The project aimed to enhance Slovenia's electricity supply by adding a new low-carbon energy source, amid growing concerns over energy security and climate change.

The decision to cancel the referendum comes in the wake of media reports raising concerns about the project and its transparency, prompting lawmakers to reassess the need for a public vote.