Photo: Soške elektrarne Nova Gorica
Slovenia selected a range of projects eligible for support via the European Union’s Modernisation Fund. The focus is on battery storage and distribution grid. Two proposals for photovoltaics are for sites envisaged for investments in batteries as well.
The Government of Slovenia added three solar power projects to the development program through 2029. Eligible for grants from the Modernisation Fund, they are developed by hydropower plant operators Dravske elektrarne Maribor (DEM) and Soške elektrarne Nova Gorica (SENG).
Both firms are subsidiaries of state-owned Holding Slovenske elektrarne – HSE. On a separate list for grants via the same EU fund, DEM and SENG have battery storage projects at the locations of two out of their three investments in photovoltaics.
The Zlatoličje-Formin solar power plant, of 2.5 MW, is envisaged for expansion. It is on the bank of a canal downstream from DEM’s Zlatoličje hydropower plant.
The current project is for 21.9 MW and an annual output of 24.1 GWh. It won the grant of EUR 8.4 million in December from the Modernisation Fund.
DEM, which is planning a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Zlatoličje as well, is providing the remainder of the required EUR 21.7 million. It scheduled the commissioning of the solar power plant for March 2028.
The firm’s other PV project is for the ZOOP Maribor solar power unit. It would have up to 10 MW in capacity. The location is on a former municipal waste landfill called Pobrežje, in Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city.
ZOOP Maribor is valued at EUR 9.6 million, of which EUR 4 million euros is from the EU fund.
Solar power plant expansion, BESS at Avče pumped storage hydropower plant
SENG is also expanding a small PV unit and adding a BESS facility. The Kanalski Vrh facility is at the upper reservoir of its Avče pumped storage hydropower plant, the only one in the country.
The plan is to increase the capacity of the solar power plant to 7.3 MW and achieve 8 GWh in annual production. SENG is getting a EUR 5.9 million grant for the EUR 14.1 million project.
Battery storage, distribution grid upgrades have priority in applying for Modernisation Fund grants
The two BESS projects are from a list that the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy published last week. It contains priority investments for grants from the Modernisation Fund, under a call that Slovenia issued last year.
In the so-called A list are 46 proposals worth an estimated EUR 164.5 million altogether.
There are 31 BESS projects. DEM has qualified three: Zlatoličje, Mariborski otok and Dravograd, and SENG’s battery storage investments are called Solkan and Avče.
Among the remaining developers are HSE, with two projects, and Petrol, with eight. A firm called Zelena perspektiva BHEE, baterijski hranilniki has six. Three are under development by Power Up Energy, energetske rešitve.
Gorenjske elektrarne, part of GEN Group, is planning two BESS facilities, of which one would be at its Moste hydropower plant.
The remaining five battery storage projects belong to GEK Solar, projektiranje in inženiring; PowerVault, shranjevanje energije; Core Grid; Baterija 1, upravljanje energije; and Termoelektrarna Brestanica.
All other priority projects are for upgrades of the power distribution network. The B list consists of five reserve proposals. Four are for district heating and one is for a thermal energy storage system.
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