The decision was taken by the HSE supervisory board, which ordered HSE director Blaž Košorok to gauge the interest of potential strategic partners, chief supervisor Marko Zidanšek confirmed for the paper.

Dnevnik says there are two options: a foreign energy corporation becoming a TEŠ shareholder, or a partner agreeing to buy electricity at a pre-determined price, which would make it easier for HSE to combine electricity from Šoštanj with cheaper power produced by the hydro plants it owns.

The news comes after it became clear that the price of the TEŠ6 project had increased from EUR 1.3bn to EUR 1.4bn, leading HSE to frantically start looking for the missing EUR 140m to complete the project.