The Družmirje Floating Solar Power Plant (PSE) is one of the key projects for the preservation and further development of the energy site in the SaŠa region. The project is currently in the placement phase. Foundations are therefore being prepared to provide answers regarding the size, economics, and other specific characteristics of the power plant, and these are expected to be completed within a month. These foundations will also form the basis for final agreements with the Municipality of Šoštanj on the benefits of PSE Družmirje for the local community. We can already say that we will offer the municipality a portion of the electricity produced by the PSE Družmirje at cost price and that, as before, we will continue to participate in the planning of spatial arrangements even after the completion of the siting process, ensuring benefits for the residents of Šoštanj. We are also exploring the possibilities of community self-sufficiency for households in Šoštanj.

With the aim of ensuring transparency in the process and open communication, HSE has had an open information point once a month since mid-2024. There, the residents of Šoštanj can ask questions about the progress and details of the PSE Družmirje construction project. At today’s ninth session, three experts from the HSE group presented the project details and, among other things, stated:

Miha Pečovnik, Executive Director of Development and Investment at HSE: “HSE Group has prepared a whole range of exciting projects aimed at achieving the set national climate and energy goals and supporting the green transition. Among HSE Group’s “solar” projects, the construction of a floating solar power plant on Lake Družmir is currently a key one, and we are also focusing a lot of attention on electricity storage at this location. New energy projects will significantly contribute to the fair transition of the SaŠa region, while their development will also bring numerous benefits to the residents, from environmental improvements to opportunities for more affordable electricity use.”

Simon Čižmek, PSE Družmirje Project Manager: “PSE Družmirje will occupy up to half of the available surface area of the lake. It is estimated that it will generate up to 140 GWh of electricity per year. The Municipality of Šoštanj, with which we have been in regular communication throughout the project planning, will receive a portion of the energy from PSE Družmirje at its cost price and will be able to manage it independently. We are also exploring models for collective self-sufficiency that would allow interested households in Šoštanj to be supplied with electricity from the PSE Družmirje, as well as various options for external arrangements around the lake. The wishes of the local community will be taken into account as far as possible in the preparation of the National Spatial Plan.
I can confidently say that a floating solar power plant is one of the cleanest and most efficient ways to harness solar energy for electricity production, a fact that is also recognised internationally. Such power plants are installed in many European countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Albania and elsewhere. They are more widely established around the world in China, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Brazil, Australia and elsewhere. ”

Mitja Tašler, Director of HSE SaŠa: “The PSE at Družmir Lake is one of the key planned projects outlined in the strategic documents for the restructuring of the SAŠA region, and is in keeping with the principles of a fair transition. In the restructuring strategy of the SaŠa region, the projects are interconnected, so PSE Družmirje is not only important as a stand-alone energy facility, but can also benefit from the project of transformation of the district heating system of the municipalities of Velenje and Šoštanj, the hydrogen valley, electricity storage systems, etc. The new company HSE SaŠa was created precisely to preserve the knowledge, staff and existing technologies in the valley and to invest further in the development of new projects and products that will make a significant contribution to the low-carbon path of the SaŠa region and Slovenia as a whole.”

Alenka Sever Keršinar of the Environment and Spatial Planning Department at HSE Invest adds: “The PSE Družmirje project is currently in the phase of preparing an environmental report and a National Spatial Plan (DPN), which will address numerous questions, including the environmentally acceptable size of the power plant, the conditions for its implementation, as well as the accompanying arrangements related to the power plant and the development around the lake. Additionally, a financial framework for the project will also be provided. It is important to emphasise that the process of producing the DPN materials involves a spectrum of experts from various fields, both from Slovenia and abroad: electrical and construction experts, architects, landscape architects, spatial planners, surface and groundwater experts, biologists, noise and glare experts, and many others. We approached the placing of the PSE in an interdisciplinary manner with the aim of ensuring a technically, environmentally, and socially acceptable spatial solution. For the purposes of the Environmental Report, a number of supporting expert documents will be prepared to provide an objective assessment of the potential environmental impact and identify any mitigation measures that may be necessary to ensure the protection of human health and the various segments of the environment (groundwater and surface water, landscape, individual segments of nature (fish, crustaceans, benthic invertebrates, macrophytes, birds, lake thermals, landscape, etc.). All of the above will result in the adopted National Spatial Plan (DPN).”