Ljubljana, 18 December (STA) - The government adopted on Wednesday the updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NEPN), stetting targets for 2030 for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy independence, and transitioning to clean energy sources. The plan leaves the planning for a new nuclear reaction on the table, with a final decision scheduled for 2028.
According to the plan, Slovenia will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2033 and simultaneously accelerate the use of renewable energy sources.
The plan supports phasing out coal through the development of other domestic low-carbon supply sources and more efficient energy use. It confirms the continued use and planned construction of a new nuclear power plant, with a decision to be made by 2028.
"With the NEPN, Slovenia maintains a balance between development and environmental protection. The implementation of the planned NEPN policies and measures will contribute to lower final energy consumption, an increased share of renewable energy sources in gross final energy consumption, and the achievement of Slovenia's long-term goals leading to a climate-neutral society," the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry said.
Regarding financial measures, the ministry highlighted the commitment to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, taking into account progress on EU legislation in the field of excise duties to ensure that countries have comparable starting points for this step. An important step is the transformation of the CO2 levy into a dedicated fund to promote investments in more sustainable measures or mitigate the effects of energy and mobility poverty.
Estimated investments related to the implementation of measures amount to approximately EUR 57 billion. According to the ministry, this indicates that the country is facing a new major investment cycle.
Investments related exclusively to measures that significantly affect the achievement of NEPN targets, i.e., the energy-climate part of investments, amount to approximately EUR 22 billion.
Most investments will need to be directed towards measures aimed at households, such as the energy renovation of buildings and the replacement of energy appliances (EUR 5.4 billion), electricity distribution and transmission networks (EUR 4 billion), distributed electricity generation from renewable energy sources (EUR 3.8 billion), and industry (EUR 1.6 billion).
The total amount of public sector investment in the period 2021-2030 is estimated at around EUR 6.9 billion. This amount mainly includes investments in railway infrastructure (EUR 3.5 billion), sustainable mobility, and public buildings.
The total estimated amount of necessary incentives to achieve the NEPN targets, excluding transport, additional funds for research and innovation, the distribution network, and other items, amounts to approximately EUR 5.4 billion for the period 2024-2030, which is just under EUR 1 billion per year.
"Together with the planned measures that we still need to implement, sufficient national and EU resources are available to cover this gap," the ministry said.
The planning of climate and energy policies of EU member states is a periodic task. Slovenia will have to outline the development after 2030 until 2040 with a new plan, which will be prepared in 2027 and 2028. The key next step will be the implementation of the adopted NEPN as a consideration of the next ten-year period.
