Centre for carbon-free technologies to open in Zagorje ob Savi
Zagorje ob Savi, 19 December - The Institute of Chemistry got a green light on Monday for a Carbon-Free Technology Demonstration and Training Centre in Zagorje ob Savi. The project will cost EUR 32 million, of which EUR 27.3 million will be contributed by the Just Transition Fund of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. The centre is due to open in 2025.
Zagorje ob Savi
The location of the new Carbon-Free Technology Demonstration and Training Centre.
Photo: RRA Zasavje
File photo
According to the ministry and the Zasavje regional development agency, the first instalment of EUR 10 million in advance payment should be paid out by the end of the year.
This direct confirmation marks the start of the largest strategic project in the restructuring of the coal region of Zasavje in central Slovenia.
The centre will be the first public scientific research institution in Zasavje. It will focus on research of advanced technologies and host two laboratories, for hydrogen technologies and battery technologies.
The centre will also enable research into technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from the air. According to Martin Šikovc, head of the Zasavje centre for a just transition, the fund's release of funding is a key step towards implementing the vision of sustainable development and improving the quality of life in the region, which has also been highlighted as good practice by the European Commission.
The approval of the project is an important milestone for Zasavje, he said. "The Just Transition Fund has already allocated 48% of the funds for the Zasavje region through the direct approval of this operation and the calls for tenders for economic and business zones and incubators, which amounts to around EUR 36 million of the EUR 75 million envisaged," said Jani Medvešek, head of the Zasavje regional development agency.
The new centre, which is due to open in 2025, will be located in the premises of the plant Skitti in Kisovec. The 1,600-square-metre centre is to contribute to the diversification of the economy in Zasavje and job creation. It is to employ 30 highly trained staff.