Photo: SENG
The Sunčana Vipava solar power project has brought together several key stakeholders in Slovenia – state electricity producer Soške Elektrarne Nova Gorica (SENG), the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia (MORS), road management firm Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji (DARS), and the Municipality of Vipava.
The Sunčana (Sunny) Vipava project envisages installing solar power plants with a total capacity of 20 MW along highways, near military barracks, and on municipal land.
The initiative is seen as a strategic move towards achieving greater energy independence, enhancing energy supply security, and promoting sustainable development through advanced photovoltaic solutions, in both military and civilian areas, according to SENG.
The company operates 28 hydropower plants, with a combined capacity of 346 MW, on the Soča River and its tributaries, and is part of the Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE) group.
In the Vipava municipality, SENG has identified several potential sites for harnessing solar energy, located adjacent to military barracks, along highways, and on municipal land.
The Vipava municipality intends to establish business zones in the vicinity of the future solar plants
The primary objective for all parties involved in the agreement is to maximize the utilization of solar potential, in conjunction with modern technologies such as hydrogen, SENG underlined.
The estimated potential at these sites is substantial, and it is currently financially viable to install solar panels with a total capacity of 20 MW. Additionally, the Municipality of Vipava plans to develop business zones in the vicinity of the future photovoltaic plants.
SENG and DARS have had a longstanding collaboration, initiated in July 2023, when the two state-owned companies agreed to develop solar power plants next to highways and signed a contract to build the first one in the southern region of Primorska.
SENG stressed the Sunčana Vipava project is one of its several green initiatives. The company plans to open its largest solar power plant at Kanalski Vrh before summer. The plant, located near the Avče pumped storage hydropower plant, will have a total capacity of 8 MW, and its first, 2.9 MW phase is nearing completion.
The official opening of the first phase is scheduled for early June.
Slovenia’s army involved in various energy projects
The involvement of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia (MORS) and Slovenian Armed Forces in energy projects is not a surprise.
In April 2023, a public-private partnership was initiated to build photovoltaic plants at the Edvard Peperko military barracks in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. A year later, MORS launched the Defense Resilience Hub Network in Europe (RESHUB) project, which envisages establishing self-sufficient energy hubs.
In addition to highways and military barracks, Slovenia plans to install solar panels along railways, demonstrating its commitment to placing solar energy facilities in degraded or underutilized locations.
A cooperation agreement for this project was signed by Vipava Mayor Anton Lavrenčič, Slovenian Minister of Defense Borut Sajovic, DARS Board Member David Skornšek, and SENG CEO Mitja Gorjan.
Gorjan explained that SENG’s responsibilities include preparing project and investment documentation for the installation and construction of solar power plants at the Mlake military training ground, along military infrastructure and the highway, and in other locations within the Municipality of Vipava.
According to HSE CEO Tomaž Štokelj, the locations for energy facilities in the Vipava region present excellent opportunities for the multifunctional use of space.
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