Solar power plant to be built at former Trbovlje-Hrastnik coal mine in Slovenia

Solar power plant Blate is planned to have a peak capacity of 1.5 MW. It means it would be among the largest in Slovenia, according to Rudis, the company that is about to install it at the site of the former Trbovlje-Hrastnik coal mine.

In its spatial plan, the Municipality of Hrastnik envisages a photovoltaic plant at Blate, on the site of a former coal mine and tailings dump in the Trbovlje-Hrastnik complex. Rudis, based in Trbovlje, received a building permit in November. The company announced it would start the works soon, depending on the weather conditions.

The estimated value of the investment in the central part of Slovenia is EUR 1.3 million, and the nominal capacity should be 1.5 MW – it will be among the largest solar power plants in the country, the statement adds. The total area of 2,600 monocrystalline ground-mounted panels of 600 W each will be 6,500 square meters, Rudis revealed.

The company plans to connect the power plant to the grid in the third quarter of 2022. All the produced energy will be delivered to the electricity distribution network, according to Rudis.

With its subsidiary Kosova LLT, Rudis has already built one solar power plant, in Kosovo *.

Zasavje is one of the two coal-dependent regions in Slovenia, and local economies there are undergoing transformation

The Government of Slovenia is rehabilitating the former Trbovlje-Hrastnik coal mine and implementing measures to improve the quality of life in the Zasavje region while incentivizing entrepreneurship and local companies. Many abandoned thermal power complexes in Europe are being remodeled for non-threatening and environmentally friendly purposes.

Zasavje and Savinjsko-Šaleška are the two regions in Slovenia where the local, coal-dependent economies are currently in the process of transformation toward greener and more sustainable solutions.

Holding Slovenske elektrarne – HSE should soon complete the construction of the first part of solar power plant Prapetno, also near Hrastnik, at the rehabilitated landfill of the defunct Trbovlje thermal power plant. According to the project, it is expected to reach a capacity of 16 MW in 2023. Earlier this year, the Slovenian government proposed a coal phaseout by 2033 at the latest.