Minister Jevšek visits Velenje as part of government visit to the Savinjska region

7. 10. 2025

Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development

Minister Jevšek and his team stopped in Velenje to visit several EU-funded projects. In Velenje city centre, they learned more about the progress made in renovating the Cankarjeva ulica road and transforming the former power plant into a new business incubator. Before conducting field visits, the ministers met for a government session.

Ogled obnove objekta Stara elektrarna v Velenju — Minister Jevšek and State Secretary Đurov at the Old power plant repurposing project site | Author Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development

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At the session, the ministers discussed, among other things, the baselines for draft act on development restructuring of the Savinjsko-Šaleška coal region and took note of the status of JTF-funded projects in the Savinjsko-Šaleška coal region.

The discussion on baselines for draft act was suspended for a week as certain details needed to be aligned between line ministries. The act aims to mitigate the consequences of coal phase-out in the Savinjsko-Šaleška coal region. This process needs to follow the principles of just transition that guarantees that no region or worker is left behind in the energy transition.

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is an important source of funding that supports the restructuring process in the Šaleška dolina valley. Minister Jevšek stressed that altogether €188,988,235.30 from the JTF, combined with national co-financing, has been made available for the projects in the Savinjsko-Šaleška coal region in the 2021-2027 programming period. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has already issued project funding decisions worth €141,941,713.88 (JTF funding and national co-financing).

Certain JTF-funded projects are already underway, including the transformation of the district heating system, the biorefining research lab, the overhaul of the former power plant and its transformation into a Centre of the Future, the Velenje Technology Park and the Business Zone Pesje-east. ‘’The JTF has been the driving force behind the just transition and restructuring efforts in the coal regions of Zasavje and Savinjsko-Šaleška for quite some time now,’’ said Minister Jevšek in his statement to the media.