The Ministry of Infrastructure in Slovenia has launched a public tender to offer financial support for the purchase and installation of solar power generation systems, also available for facilities to be used for self-consumption of solar electricity and energy storage. The tender will be open to companies, entrepreneurs and cooperatives.
State aid will be granted for systems of up to 10 MW capacity. For such systems, state support will co-finance the purchase and installation of equipment directly related to the production of electricity using solar energy, energy storage facilities with power equal to or less than the power of installed devices for the production of electricity using solar energy, and connection to the electricity grid.
Another eligibility purpose mentioned under the call is towards the cost of professional construction supervision services in the amount of 3% of eligible costs of the operation.
Interested projects will be eligible to receive financial support covering a maximum of 20% of the value of the eligible costs of the operation, but it won't exceed €200 per 1 kW of installed rated power of the solar power plant. It would encourage new solar energy generation installations, according to the ministry.
Applications for the 1st opening will be accepted till June 4, 2021, for the 2nd submitted no later than September 10, 2021, followed by 3rd opening with an application deadline of November 26, 2021, and for the final opening applications will be accepted till February 25, 2022.
Submissions in the later rounds will be considered only if the tendered funds are not spent on previous openings. The ministry said it will publish a special notice on the use of funds on its website. Tender details are available on the government website.
The ministry explained that this call for tenders is financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund that contributed €5 million to the total amount of €10 million for the tenders under JR VE OVE 2021 in April 2021.
"The indicative European Cohesion Policy grant available for co-financing operations is EUR 5 million. The funds are available in 2021, 2022 and 2023," stated the ministry.
In April 2021, Slovenia's Energy Agency said solar PV led the country's cumulative self consumption renewable energy capacity that added up to 103 MW till 2020-end (see Slovenia's RE Powered Self-Consumption Capacity: 103 MW).