Today, the Slovenian Water Agency (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning), the City of Ljubljana, Energetika Ljubljana and Elektro Ljubljana signed the Cooperation and Co-financing Agreement in the preparation of the investment project »Renovation of the existing floodgates and energy use of the Ljubljanica River with the concurrent introduction of a circular waterway on the Ljubljanica River«.

Project partners highlighted that the project has great potential for the revitalization of the costal belt of the Ljubljanica River and the development of activities on its waters, that the navigability of the Ljubljanica River will facilitate the diversification of public transport in the wider area of the centre of Ljubljana and make it possible to introduce a navigable connection with the municipalities of Brezovica and Vrhnika, and added that the existing floodgates at Ambrožev trg and Gruberjev kanal are run-down and in need of urgent repair, and last but not least, that the development strategy guidelines of Elektro Ljubljana in Energetika Ljubljana imply a commitment to invest in renewable energy sources – generation of electrical energy from the water of the Ljubljanica River therefore represents an opportunity to increase the share of energy production from renewable sources. Within the scope of the renovation and construction of the floodgates passages for water organisms are also going to be built.
With the Agreement we established a partnership for the cooperation in the project, that is, for the obtainment of the building permit for the implementation of the project. The obtainment of the building permit is planned by the end of 2021, followed by the implementational part of the project, which should be concluded in five years, that is, presumably by 2026. The value of the documentation preparation is estimated at 400,000.00 EUR, VAT not included.

Deputy Mayor Prof. Janez Koželj stressed at the signing of the Agreement that the renovation of the existing floodgates and the energy use of the Ljubljanica River with the concurrent introduction of a circular waterway on the Ljubljanica River represents a sustainable project, which is successfully bringing together all the necessary aspects, namely, nature protection, heritage protection, technical and economical aspects, and that is why all its partners believe in its success.