Šaleška Valley also with European funds in the transformation of district heating

Velenje – In the Šaleška Valley, where the only operating coal mine in Slovenia is located, implementation contracts for the works within the first of three phases of the district heating transformation project were signed on Tuesday, which is largely financed by European funds. The use of coal as a heating source is expected to be gradually phased out by 2033 and replaced with renewable sources.

The transformation of the district heating system in the Šaleška Valley, one of the key energy locations in the country, is a central part of the restructuring of the Savinja-Šaleška region and is included in the European cohesion policy program 2021-2027 as part of the just transition mechanism. The transformation will take place in three phases until 2033 and will gradually enable the phasing out of coal use and the transition to renewable energy sources.

The first phase includes the renovation of the district heating system, the second phase involves replacing coal with renewable energy sources, and the third phase focuses on the energy renovation of buildings and other measures for the users themselves, including changing the habits of citizens.

The head of the European Commission’s representation in Slovenia Jerneja Jug Jerše expressed satisfaction that the project is starting. “I hope this project will show that Europe is not just something abstract and distant, but something that concretely responds to the challenges of today’s time, and also that it includes the knowledge and needs of the local population,” she said. (July 1)