Sostanj Power Station

The Sostanj power station is an existing 779 megawatt lignite fired power station near near Velenje in north-east Slovenia. The power station is owned by Termoelektrarna Sostanj.

Background
The current Sostanj Power Station generates on average one-third of the electricity in Slovenia.

The existing power station comprises five generating units which are referred to as:


 * Block 3, a 75 megawatt unit commissioned in 1960 and scheduled to be shut down in 2015;
 * Block 4, a 275 megawatt unit commissioned in 1972 and scheduled to be shut down in 2015;
 * Block 5, a 345 megawatt unit commissioned in 1977 and nominally scheduled to run until 2027;
 * PT 51, a 42 megawatt gas-fired unit commissioned in 2008 and nominally scheduled to run until 2027; and
 * PT 52, a 42 megawatt gas-fired unit commissioned in 2008 and nominally scheduled to run until 2027.

Block 1 and Block 2, both 25 megawatt generating units, were closed in 2010 and 2008 respectively.

Coal supply
The existing power station consumes "between 3.5 and 4.2 million tonnes" of lignite a year, approximately 90% of all the coal produced in the country. Coal for the power station is sourced from the nearby Velenje mine.

Block 6 proposal
A new 600 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station has been proposed to "replace obsolete facilities" at the existing plant. The project would replace the power plant’s existing units 3-4 and possibly 5.

Cost and funding
Since initial project proposal, costs have risen from EUR 700-900 million to EUR 1.2 billion. Permits will also need to be purchased by Slovenia as part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The project received permissions from the Slovenian authorities and has secured financing of 250 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and 550 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Carbon emissions
Operating the station will result in emissions of 3.4 mega tonnes of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to almost all of Slovenia’s allowable emissions in 2050.

Corruption charges
In July 2012 the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) decided to start an official investigation into the Sostanj plant due to charges of corruption (bribery and money laundering) and conflicts of interests in the granting of the contract to the company Alstom.

Groups campaigning against the proposed expansion

 * Bankwatch (Czech Republic)
 * Focus Association for Sustainable Development (Slovenia)

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Slovenia and coal

External resources

 * "Sostanj Thermal Power Plant", European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, January 2011.
 * "Modernisation and Reconstruction of Termoelektrarna Šoštanj Power Plant: Non-Technical Summary", European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, October 2009.
 * European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), "EIB and EBRD to support completion of TES-Thermal Power Plant Sostanj project", Media Release, March 8, 2013.
 * "Sostanj lignite thermal power plant unit 6, Slovenia", Bankwatch, accessed January 2014.
 * "Social Cost of Energy from coal power plant in Sostanj: The consequences of burning lignite on people‘s health and national economy", Greenpeace, June 2012.

External articles

 * "Energy: Slovenia, costs of Sostanj power plant up: From 1,3 to 1,44 billion euros in construction phase", ANSAmed, June 4, 2013.
 * "Coalition Agreement: New" Wish list" Without Substance", Slovenia Times, January 15, 2014.
 * "Thermo Plant TEŠ 6: Showcase of Catastrophic Corporate Governance", Slovenia Times, January 22, 2014.