Austria-based Alpen-Adria Energie cleared the way for the construction of its wind power plant Dolenja Vas of up to 66 MW as the Government of Slovenia approved the spatial plan. The company already operates a wind turbine in the area.
Slovenia’s new government, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, is implementing a massive solar power deployment plan, but it is still slow when it comes to wind power.
There are only two turbines installed in the whole country. One is located in Griško polje in Slovenia’s southwest. The location is in the vicinity of the village of Dolenja Vas in the Divača municipality. The operator, Alpen-Adria Energie (AAE) from Kötschach-Mauthen in Austrian Carinthia, is planning to build the first large wind power plant in the same area.
The Dolenja Vas project achieved progress as the Government of Slovenia has just approved the spatial plan. The facility is set to consist of 11 machines with up to 6 MW each. The windmills can be 100 to 150 meters high, with blades between 115 and 180 meters in diameter, according to the document.
The wind park project in Divača was once rejected at a local referendum
In an earlier proposition, 14 turbines with 4.2 MW apiece were envisaged. AAE is developing the Dolenja Vas project through its subsidiaries AAE Gamit and AAE Ventur.
Many people in Divača have opposed the project and it was even rejected at a referendum in the neighboring village of Senožeče. The municipality was also against the construction of the wind park.
Savaprojekt’s subsidiary E-Grus intends to build a wind farm of up to 90 MW in the same region.
The government also approved the project for upgrading the 110 kV transmission line between Divača and the seaside town of Koper. It is 30 kilometers long. One of the reasons is to boost the electricity supply for the Port of Koper and enable its development. For instance, it needs to install chargers for battery-powered vessels by 2025.