In July 2021, the Slovenian government adopted the new Act on The Promotion of the Use of Renewable Energy Sources. The content of the Act regulates the implementation of the national and local policy in the field of the use of renewable energy sources (RES), determines the goals in the field of RES and measures for achieving these goals and the methods of their financing. The purpose of this Act is to harmonize the national legal order with the EU law.
Some essential contents of the Act:
- the Act sets an annual initial share of RES, which must not be lower than 25%, while the overall target for 2030 is set in the NECP;
- the Act regulates the support scheme and, in this context, also the content related to declarations for production facilities and guarantees of origin. Small producers are given the option of directly entering the support scheme, while larger ones are required to compete;
- within the framework of international cooperation mechanisms, the Act regulates the rules on statistical transfers, joint projects and participation in the EU financial mechanism. Funds for the purchase are provided from the support scheme, and the funds obtained from the sale are the revenue of the funds for grants;
- in the area of self-sufficiency, there are significant changes compared to the existing scheme. Final customers will have to pay a network fee for all the energy taken from the network, and at the same time they will get paid for the surpluses;
- in regard of spatial planning, the Act stipulates that planning bodies and network operators must take into account the promotion of RES in development and placement;
- in the field of heating and cooling, in accordance with the directive, a sectoral target of RES has been set, namely an approximate 1.3% increase per year. One of the measures to increase the share of RES in this sector is a ban on the design and installation of boilers on heating oil and coal after 2023. For district heating systems, the goal is to increase the share of RES by 1% per year;
- in the transport sector, the goal is to achieve at least a 14% share of energy from renewable sources by 2030, and the share in an individual year must not fall below 10%.
More information about the Act can be found here: https://www.energetika-portal.si/nc/novica/n/drzavni-zbor-podprl-zakon-o-spodbujanju-rabe-obnovljivih-virov-energije-4571/
In 2019, Slovenia also joined the EU Platform for Coal Regions in Transition. In 2020 Slovenia prepared a draft of the National strategy for coal exit and restructuring of coal regions. Submission for acceptance to the government of Slovenia of the strategy is scheduled for July 2021. The focus of the strategy is on the fair transition of two Slovenian regions, Savinjsko- Šaleška region and Zasavje region.
A fair transition strives for a fair and inclusive transition to climate neutrality, with minimal impact on employees and communities in the most affected regions. It requires a balanced approach to regional development and to address the various challenges and opportunities at the strategic level, while taking into account the interactions of all actors, policies and actions. The proactive role of stakeholders and social dialogue are key to a fair transition, as they ensure that no one is overlooked at all stages of the transition. Bottom-up stakeholder involvement also provides ownership and motivation to implement the coal exit strategy and related plans.
More information about the strategy can be found here: https://www.energetika-portal.si/dokumenti/strateski-razvojni-dokumenti/nacionalna-strategija-za-izstop-iz-premoga-in-prestrukturiranje-premogovnih-regij/