Slovenia has moved the proposed reconstruction of the Formin hydropower plant into the public-review stage of the integrated construction-permit process.
The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has published the documentation covering the plant reconstruction and work on the adjacent Markovci dam. The documents will remain available for public inspection until 24 August.
Project owner Dravske Elektrarne Maribor, or DEM, plans a comprehensive replacement of the plant’s mechanical and electrical equipment. The scope also includes rehabilitation of the intake canal with a new geocomposite lining, construction of a protective wall and repairs to the discharge canal and stone embankments.
Formin entered operation in 1978 and is the last hydropower station on Slovenia’s section of the Drava River that has not undergone a full overhaul. Modernisation is intended to extend the operating life of the plant and bring its hydraulic performance into line with the remainder of the Drava cascade.
Installed capacity is expected to rise by 12.6 per cent, from 116 MW to 130.65 MW. Average annual production is forecast to increase by approximately 7 per cent, from 548 GWh to 588.6 GWh.
The investment will therefore add about 14.65 MW of capacity and 40.6 GWh of annual generation. The larger increase in capacity than energy output indicates that part of the project’s value lies in operational flexibility, higher peak capability and improved reliability rather than baseload production alone.
Work on the intake canal and first generating unit is scheduled to begin in August 2027. Reconstruction of the second unit is planned for late 2027, with the modernised plant expected to return to operation by the end of 2028 or early 2029.
The permitting process will be central to maintaining that schedule. Canal works, dam interfaces, equipment replacement and staged unit outages must be coordinated without compromising water management or the operation of the wider Drava cascade.
Formin’s modernisation comes as flexible hydropower is becoming more valuable in Slovenia. The rapid expansion of solar generation is widening the difference between midday and evening prices, while regional drought is increasing the strategic importance of every dispatchable hydro asset.
