Slovenia is eyeing the construction of a second reactor in Krsko, near the country's sole nuclear power plant.

The Krsko plant was built in 1983 and is expected to stop production in 2043.

"We have all agreed that the path towards a carbon-free society must be paved with renewable energy sources, on one side, and with nuclear power, on the other," Golob told a news conference after a meeting attended by all parliamentary parties' leaders, the country's president and other top officials.

"For a project as relevant as this -- both considering its value and the country's future -- a consensus must be reached. We will look for common solutions," he added.

The referendum is expected to be held in the second half of the year.

Janez Jansa, leader of the main conservative opposition party SDS and former premier, welcomed the agreement saying "it will speed up the process towards the construction of a second reactor".

The Krsko nuclear power plant's 700-megawatt reactor -- equipped by US energy group Westinghouse -- was jointly built with neighbouring Croatia while the two countries were still part of Yugoslavia.

It supplies around 20 percent of Slovenia's electricity needs and 17 percent of Croatia's.