Once Maribor was one of the most developed cities in Yugoslavia, today it is the second largest city in Slovenia and the first in the region where the principles of the circular economy are applied. With the adoption of the Strategy for the transition of the city of Maribor to a circular economy and the Action Plan of the strategy, the key development projects of the transition of this idyllic tourist place were defined. They are also the holders of the EU Pilot project of the biocircular economy region of Podravje and are currently working on the preparation of an action plan and projects that will be implemented by the end of this year. Aleksander Saša Arsenovič, mayor of Maribor, talks about modern technologies, energy efficiency, climate change, sustainable development and much more for the Energy Portal Magazine.
What modern technological solutions do you use for mixed municipal waste? Have waste incinerators started operating in Maribor?
– The public company Snaga from the Maribor Public Holding Group (JHMB) provides municipal waste management services. Mixed municipal waste is collected according to the door-to-door system. The exception is the strict center of the city, where there are four underground collection points for the collection of mixed municipal and other types of separately collected waste. Struja sorts the collected mixed municipal waste into different fractions in a modern, well-equipped and organized sorting plant. Out of a total of 75,000 tons of municipal waste collected annually, 32 percent is collected at the source as mixed municipal waste, and 68 percent is collected separately, all of which goes to purchasers for further processing and recycling. A waste incinerator has not yet been installed in Maribor. Procedures for accommodation are being prepared, and amendments to the Regulation on waste incineration are being prepared.
Are you developing the concept of a public-private partnership for the placement of innovations and how many investments do such environmental protection projects attract?
– Projects of energy renovation of public buildings are implemented according to the public-private partnership model. In 2019, the municipality of Maribor fully renovated 14 and partially renovated 10 public buildings as part of a public-private partnership based on the energy contracting model. For the comprehensive renovation, the municipality received cohesion grants. Thus, in 2019, the municipality carried out the largest energy renovation in the region. 24 public buildings (schools, kindergartens, sports halls) were renovated. The value of the project was 12 million euros. Annual energy consumption was reduced by 5,952 MWh, energy costs by 446,000 euros, maintenance costs by 28,500 euros, and CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,305 tons. Working and living conditions have improved significantly, and the users are very satisfied. The project is regularly monitored and the savings are verified by the Agency for Energy and Climate of Podravje – ENERGAP, which also participated in the process of preparing documentation, obtaining cohesion funds and monitoring the implementation of the investment.
IN FOCUS:
How much do you do to improve energy efficiency in households?
– Together with the municipality, ENERGAP offers citizens energy consultations throughout the year. In consulting for citizens, he actively cooperates with energy consultants who work within the national network ENSVET (network of energy consulting offices). Within the ENSVET office, citizens receive free advice and information related to investments in efficient use of energy and renewable energy sources with the possibility of obtaining non-refundable financial incentives and favorable loans. Citizens can find all the necessary information and notifications about free energy consultations on the ENERGAP website, as well as on social networks. They occasionally publish tips on saving electricity and heat, information on the carbon footprint and how to reduce it, tenders for grants, tips on cooling rooms in the summer months and how to safely expose yourself to the sun. Various online lectures and seminars are organized for citizens on the topics of savings, heating, self-sustainability, energy renovation, construction, investments in renewable energy sources, etc. In the premises of ENERGAP, there is also an advisory office for the promotion of the use of renewable energy sources, which is intended for all interested citizens, municipalities and companies.
How do you improve air quality, increase the use of renewable energy sources and work on the development of mobility?
– Air pollution in Maribor is decreasing year by year. The largest share of pollution, especially during the heating season, comes from the use of very old and inefficient devices. The values of pollutants, especially PM10 particles, have dropped significantly in the last six years. In 2018, at the Krekovo/Tirševa measuring point, there were as many as 21 days where the daily limit value was exceeded, and in 2023, not a single day was recorded at the same measuring point. All reports with ambient air quality monitoring and condition monitoring at all measuring points are publicly available on the ecological website, as well as on a special Interactive map. In the area of using renewable energy sources, we are planning to install eight solar power plants (total power of 1 MW) that will work in order to create a local independent community, and we are also planning new solar power plants on 14 public buildings with a power of 2 MW. Additional power plants are planned at the closed Porežje and Dogoše landfills, and discussions are ongoing for the construction of one of 5 MW at the railway triangle.
The interview was conducted by: Mirjana Vujadinović Tomevski
Source: energetskiportal.rs
