Slovenian hydro-based electricity producer Dravske Elektrarne Maribor (DEM), which operates within HSE Group, has obtained a permit for the construction of a geothermal power plant.
The statement from the company said that the pilot plant will be built on the Pg-8 well near Centiba and will showcase how geothermal energy potential can be used.
General Manager of DEM Aleksander Bruncko said that the concept of using geothermal energy in this way is patented and the exclusive use of the patent is given to DEM. The pilot project will be the first application of this patent, which is the fruit of Slovenian knowledge. The implementation, which represents a new step for all project partners on the path of development and transition to a low-carbon society, is an added value both for the local community and for the whole of Slovenia.
The installation of equipment at well should be completed by mid-2023 and the trial operation could start in July next year. Following the successful testing, the 50 kW pilot plant could be put into operation in April 2024.
In late 2021, DEM announced that it is developing two geothermal projects in northeastern part of the country, worth some 41 million euros. Besides the pilot project at Pg-8 well, worth one million euros, the company is also planning the second plant on the location of the Mg-6 well near Benica. It is a geothermal plant with a binary circuit, which will have a capacity of several MW, and estimated investment value is around 40 million euros.
Slovenia has no operational geothermal capacities for electricity generation.
