The Slovenian Government has passed a decree on granting concessions for waste incineration, which is aimed at achieving the goal of preventing the export and accumulation of waste that can be heat-treated and from which electricity and heat can be generated.
The decree envisages the granting of a concession for the communal service of municipal waste incineration for a period of 30 years.
Currently, there is only one non-recyclable waste power plant operational in Slovenia – Toplarna Celje, which treats 30,000 tons of waste per year, and was built with the support of EU funds, which covered 70 % of the cost. Due to its operation, the amount of waste at the local landfill has been reduced by 65 % and the heat is used for district heating in Celje, while the excess electricity goes to the network.
In February, Slovenian Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak said that the Government is planning to co-finance the construction of three waste-to-energy plants in Ljubljana, Maribor and Kocevje.
The investment in all three facilities will amount to 60 million euros. The concessionaires will sell heat to customers at a regulated price and will receive revenues to cover operating and maintenance costs. It is estimated that the state will cover about 30 % of the investment value to kick-start the projects. The facilities will provide the obligatory public service of municipal waste treatment.
