(ANSA) - LJUBLJANA, MAY 4 - Croatia and Slovenia have decided to extend the operating life of the Krsko nuclear power plant another twenty years, until 2043, Slovenian press reported today. The agreement was reached - according to local media - between the two owners of the plant, Slovenia's Gen and Croatia's Hep, two companies dealing with the production and distribution of electricity, both state-owned. So far, the closure of the Krsko power plant, located in Slovenia, halfway between Ljubljana and Zagreb, and about 150 kilometres from Trieste, has been scheduled for 2024. In order to extend its operating life another twenty years, the plant will have to undergo a nuclear safety control in 2023. So far - the management said - the power plant, in operation since 1983, has proven reliable and safe, no accidents occurred, affecting human beings or the environment. Recently the plant successfully underwent the additional checks required by Brussels after after the nuclear plant in Fukushima (Japan) was damaged. In the last twenty years both companies have invested several hundred million euros in the modernisation and safety of the plant. (ANSA).