Swiss contribution of over EUR 16 million in decarbonisation investments in Slovenia

11. 4. 2025

Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy

Ministers Kumer and Jevšek signed a Support Measure Implementation Agreement under the Swiss-Slovenian Cooperation Programme. The Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy will direct funding towards agri-photovoltaic pilot projects, the digitalisation of local energy concepts, investments in energy communities and the replacement of fossil fuels with shallow geothermal energy in the heating sector.

Ministers Kumer and Jevšek are standing and holding the signed agreements in their hands. In the background stand the Swiss Minister of Economic Affairs and the Prime Minister. Behind them are the flags of Slovenia and the European Union. — Author Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport

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Today's signing of the Support Measure Agreement under the Swiss-Slovenian Cooperation Programme between the Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development, Aleksander Jevšek, and the Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelina, was followed by the signing of the Support Measure Implementation Agreement between the Ministers Bojan Kumer and Aleksander Jevšek.

Under the two agreements, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy will play a key role in implementing the measures under the "Increasing energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy" programme and will provide EUR 16 million in investment for the decarbonisation of Slovenia.

Last year, the Ministry initiated activities to prepare a feasibility study for the pilot introduction of agrivoltaics. In addition to analysing the potential of agrivoltaics, the study includes the establishment of the first agri-photovoltaic pilot project in Slovenia, based on the methodology presented in the study Technical Determination of Agrivoltaics Deployment on Agricultural Land. The Institute for Innovation and Development of University of Ljubljana and the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia have been running the pilot project since the end of last year. A total of EUR 2.2 million of the Swiss contribution has been allocated for agri-photovoltaic pilot projects.

Almost EUR 12 million from the Swiss-Slovenian programme will be used to set up ten or more energy communities in public secondary schools, school centres and public universities. This will help to establish advanced, relevant and innovative practices in the field of energy communities within public education and contribute to accelerating the transition to a low-carbon society. Fossil fuel boilers will be replaced by heat pumps to utilise shallow geothermal energy, potentially in combination with solar power plants.

Part of the Swiss contribution, amounting to EUR 1.8 million, will be used to digitise local energy plans. By utilising digital energy and spatial data, local energy concepts can be prepared more efficiently and optimised to meet local needs. This will make energy systems more efficient, sustainable and interconnected, benefiting communities, businesses and the environment.

The digitisation of local energy concepts and the first agri-photovoltaic pilot project are already underway and are expected to be completed in 2026. The call for proposals for integrated sustainable energy projects in the education sector is expected to open to educational institutions in 2026.

The agreements signed today further reinforce the role of the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy as a key actor in Slovenia's transition to a low-carbon society, supported also by the strategic partnership with Switzerland, a key investor in the Slovenian economy.