When public and stakeholder engagement fails: the Slovenian Nuclear Referendum case

The Slovenian government—a country operating a single nuclear power reactor that supplies approximately 20 % of its annual electricity consumption—announced plans to expand nuclear energy production by constructing a
second reactor by 2040. As part of this initiative, the government proposed a referendum in May 2024, which was approved by parliament on October 10th and scheduled to be held already on 24th of November 2024. However, just two weeks after parliamentary approval, the referendum was cancelled on October 24th due to mounting public pressure.
This study examines what happened during the process of preparations for implementing one of the most democratic public engagement tools—a referendum. Specifically, it explores how a unique opportunity for broad
stakeholder participation deteriorated into a failure of public and stakeholder engagement.
A mixed-methods approach was employed, including interviews with 6 representatives of official stakeholders with particular role in nuclear sector; media content analysis of the daily newspaper “Dnevnik” and the weekly
supplement “Sobotna priloga” of another daily newspaper “Delo” (covering the period from May 7th to November 24th, 2024); and a systematic review of governmental and parliamentary documents related to the referendum. The study identifies the stakeholders involved and excluded from public debate, exposes attempts of manipulation, and analyzes the themes that were emphasized or omitted during public discourse.
The findings reveal that the manipulation of stakeholder engagement for propaganda purposes can not only undermine effective decision-making in nuclear energy policy but also erode public trust in democratic processes
and future technological developments.Drawing on lessons from the Slovenian case, this research offers valuable insights for decision-making processes related to nuclear technologies more broadly and SMR in specific.