23/07/2025
Presenting Pilot Areas within HEAT 35 Project - Mestna občina Velenje/Municipality of Velenje, Slovenia 🇸🇮!
As part of the project, Velenje is taking steps to transform one of Slovenia’s largest district heating systems (DHS) toward a more sustainable future.
Located in the Šaleška Valley, the DHS supplies heat to approx. 40,000 residents and over 12,000 consumers. It is currently heavily dependent on coal, with TEŠ (Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant) using lignite (80%) and gas (20%). However, the system is outdated, with average thermal losses of 26.4% — making the shift to sustainable sources urgent.
🌍 The pilot aims to decarbonize the DHS by:
🟢 Assessing the potential of woody biomass in Savinjska, Koroška, and Podravska regions
🟢Exploring use of excess (waste) heat and shallow geothermal resources
🟢 Considering future upgrades like biomass boilers, high-temperature heat pumps (using wastewater heat), and solar thermal collectors
🟢 Planning a long-term transition to a third-generation, low-temperature DHS
👉 Supported by stakeholder engagement and monitoring frameworks, this action will reduce CO₂ emissions, improve energy efficiency and system reliability, support the national goal to phase out coal by 2033, and strengthen energy security while serving as a model for other coal-dependent regions in Europe.
More information: https://www.interreg-central.eu/news/presenting-pilot-areas-within-heat-35-project-slovenia-municipality-of-velenje/
Interreg Central Europe
