Current Slovenian national strategy envisages three possible scenarios for coal phase-out: by 2033, by 2038 and by 2042.
The Strategic Council for Energy Transition, established by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), finds that the planned closure of coal-fired thermal power plant Sostanj and nearby Velenje coalmine by 2033 is premature and proposes the closure somewhere between 2037 and 2040.
According to GZS, the 2033 deadline is not based on a comprehensive plan to replace those resources with “green” ones, thus providing stability of the electricity system, and it could lead the country into a state of energy poverty. High dependency of Slovenia on energy imports could be detrimental in a crisis, which is why imports should be kept under 15-20 %. GZS Chairman Bostjan Gorjup said that, before the phase-out, the Government will have to take a number of other actions, such as extending the lifetime of nuclear power plant Krsko until 2043 and draft the documentation needed to build a second unit by 2025.
