The National Assembly expects the Government to accelerate development of the Mokrice hydropower plant and to submit progress reports every three months. The Government has now issued its formal response to the request made in May by the parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, Environment and Spatial Planning, which called for faster implementation of the project and mandated regular updates.
According to the Government, all procedures are moving forward in accordance with applicable legislation. The Mokrice project is being processed under an integrated procedure, meaning that all key assessments and approvals are examined together as part of one comprehensive review.
As part of the renewed procedure evaluating whether energy-related public interest outweighs environmental protection concerns, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy has sent updated environmental documentation to the investor and other stakeholders. This includes a revised assessment of the project’s acceptability. Relevant expert institutions have also received the updated material and are currently reviewing it and preparing their opinions.
To ensure a high-quality expert evaluation, the Ministry contacted twenty institutions across Europe and Switzerland to identify qualified specialists. Eight responded, and four expressed clear interest in taking part.
The Government emphasized that all administrative actions are being conducted correctly and in line with the rules. In accordance with the National Assembly’s request, it will provide quarterly updates on all further developments related to the Mokrice hydropower plant.
The Mokrice project envisions a new 28.05 MW hydropower plant with a water inflow capacity of 500 cubic meters per second and an expected annual electricity generation of 128 GWh. The estimated investment cost is around 177 million euros. Construction was originally planned to begin by the end of 2019, with completion scheduled for mid-2022.
