Slovenia is rich in forest and water. Otherwise, there are smaller deposits of iron, lead, zinc and copper ore, as well as of lignite, mercury, uranium and oil. However, this is not a significant amount.
Almost half the energy demand is covered by imported oil and natural gas. Nuclear power and coal account for about the same amount, while the remainder is mainly biofuels and hydropower. No oil is extracted in the country.
COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Slovenia with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
Electricity production is almost exclusively domestic. Nuclear power accounts for just over a third, hydropower and other renewable sources for a third, and coal power for just under a third.
Slovenia has a nuclear power plant, in the city of Krško. It was built jointly for Slovenia and Croatia during the Yugoslav era. After independence in 1991, a dispute arose over ownership, but according to a settlement from the beginning of the 2000s, the countries jointly own the work and share the electricity generated. A dispute persisted for a long time about previously failed electricity deliveries but in 2015 a tribunal ordered Slovenia to pay a total of EUR 30 million to Croatia, in damages and arbitration costs. The countries have agreed to extend the life of the reactor by 20 years, until 2043. Discussions are underway to build a second reactor in Krško, but no decision has been made on the matter.
Slovenia’s environmental problems are particularly noticeable because the Sava river has been soiled by industrial and household waste and that the coastal water has been polluted by emissions from the industrial city of Koper. Otherwise, the country has a clear environmental profile. Just over half the area is covered by some form of nature protection. As the first country in the EU, Slovenia has since 2016 enshrined in the Constitution that access to clean drinking water is a fundamental right, and that water resources must not be privatized. In the same year, Slovenia became the first country in the world to be designated a “green destination” by the Green Destinations organization, and Ljubljana was named European environmental capital by the EU.
Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, SI stands for Slovenia. Visit itypeusa for more information about Slovenia.
FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
3 175 kilograms of oil equivalent (2015)
Electricity consumption per person
6728 kWh, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
12 812 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
6.2 tons (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
20.9 percent (2015)
2012
December
Borut Pahor is elected president
Former Prime Minister Borut Pahor wins a convincing victory in the decisive round of the presidential election with just over 67 percent of the vote against just under 33 percent for incumbent President Danilo Türk. In the first half of November, Pahor gained 40 percent against 36 for Türk. During the final phase of the electoral movement, demonstrations in Ljubljana are held against austerity and against corruption. The turnout is 42 percent.
May
Extensive austerity is adopted
After the government agreed to some of the trade union demands, Parliament adopts a large austerity package which includes, among other things, reduced salaries for those working in the public sector as well as reduced sickness benefit, unemployment benefit and parental benefit. The concessions to the trade union include, among other things, a promise that those who went on strike in April would receive pay for the strike days and that planned savings in the education sector should be postponed in the future. The goal is to reduce the budget deficit below 3 percent in 2013, that is, the limit that the members of the EU’s currency union EMU must abide by.
April
March
Referendum against adoption law
In a referendum, the Slovenes reject the law that was adopted in June 2011, which allows homosexuals to adopt their partner’s biological children.
February
New government takes office
Janez Janša takes over as prime minister for a government consisting of his own SDS, DeSUS and SLS, New Slovenia and the newly formed Liberal Party, Gregor Virant’s national list. The parties have 50 seats.
January
The electorate does not succeed in forming government
Since Janković failed to form a government, SDS leader Janez Janša is approved as head of government despite being charged with corruption.
