Celje, Šoštanj among Slovenian municipal authorities pursuing energy independence
The City of Celje in Slovenia plans to install 11 solar power plants on its public buildings, and the Municipality of Šoštanj agreed contracted four such units. The photovoltaic systems would be part of energy communities. Šoštanj expects to save EUR 70,000 per year while Celje is counting on EUR 200,000.
Novo Mesto, another municipality in Slovenia, recently made a similar move toward achieving energy independence.
The total capacity of the solar power plants in Celje and Šoštanj is 1.9 MW. They have signed contracts with ECE, a subsidiary of state-owned power utility Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE). The projects are funded from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and by the two municipal authorities.
Šoštanj is set to get solar power plants with a capacity of 500 kW altogether, at four locations: the sports hall of the Karel Destovnik Kajuh elementary school, a music school, health center, and the Pilon Center.
The total investment is EUR 500,000, with the local authority receiving a EUR 450,000 grant via the NRRP.
Both municipal authorities now have energy communities
In Celje, approximately 1.4 MW would be installed at several locations including the Z’dežele Stadium, Celje Summer Pool, Celje Health Center, elementary schools and kindergartens.
The City of Celje secured a EUR 1 million grant from NRRP, and the total investment is estimated at EUR 1.4 million.
In addition to building solar power plants, the contract includes five years of maintenance, offtaking surplus electricity production, and supply during insufficient power generation. It also involves managing the energy community.
In Šoštanj, the energy community would involve more than 15 public buildings, and the one in the City of Celje would consist of PV units on more than 40 public buildings.
The two projects are scheduled for completion in December and November, respectively.
Šoštanj aims to produce 70% of the electricity consumed by its public buildings
When the power plants are built, the municipality expects to cover 70% of the consumption of all public buildings, and the third-largest city in Slovenia aims for a 15% share.
The Šoštanj project is envisaged for 500 MWh of clean electricity output per year, reducing electricity costs by about EUR 70,000. Total savings over the entire lifespan of the solar power systems is seen at EUR 2 million.
Celje’s PV plants would produce 1,462 MWh of energy annually and save approximately EUR 200,000, translating to around EUR 5 million throughout their service life.
Investment for the long-term benefit of the community
Mayor of Šoštanj Boris Goličnik said the contract signifies the continuation of the municipality’s vision of energy independence.
“This is an investment in the future, in the green transition, and for a permanent benefit of our community,” he stated.
According to Celje’s Mayor Matija Kovač, it is a strategic decision on managing energy, costs, and the environment in the future. He said the planned PV units are just the beginning.
Sebastijan Roudi, ECE CEO, asserted that as part of the HSE group, the firm places grea t emphasis on demanding energy projects, developing new billing models, and seeking ways to accelerate the green transition.
