Energy Utilization of the Ljubljanica River with Simultaneous Establishment of a Circular Navigation Route

The City Municipality of Ljubljana aims to enable continuous navigation around Castle Hill and the old city center through the establishment of a circular navigation route, thereby connecting the eastern, central, and southwestern parts of the city. This will enhance the city’s tourist offerings, provide residents with a new mode of (sustainable) transport, and enable the development of abandoned and/or degraded urban riverbanks and riparian areas.

Furthermore, the existing weirs at Ambrož Square and Gruber Canal are deteriorated and require urgent renovation. Therefore, the project will completely renovate the weir at Ambrož Square, while at Gruber Canal, the old weir will be restored alongside the construction of a new one.

The implementation of the project would provide the opportunity for energy utilization of the Ljubljanica River, as the construction of state-of-the-art run-of-river energy facilities with high efficiency and minimal environmental impact is planned at three locations (Plečnik’s weir at Ambrož Square, the new weir on Gruber Canal, and the planned dam at the confluence of the urban Ljubljanica and Gruber Canal). By harnessing the flow of the Ljubljanica River as a renewable resource, these facilities will further emphasize Ljubljana’s character as the Green Capital in an environmentally friendly manner. The three small hydroelectric power plants are expected to generate over 7 GWh of electrical energy, which, according to a rough estimate, represents more than 75% of the electrical energy consumed for public lighting within the City Municipality of Ljubljana.