SPODNJEPOSAVSKA - Economy
Slovenia's nuclear power plant
Taking into account the number of commercial companies and generated value added, the most important sector is industry, contributing 48.8% of value added, followed by the services sector (44.3%) and agriculture (6.9%).
Spodnjeposavska's lowlands and hills are among the most important agricultural regions of Slovenia. Small farms prevail (less than 5 ha). In the plain they focus on corn production (for silage about 820 ha and grain about 4300 ha), which is a basis for livestock (dairy and meat farms) and pig raising and to a lesser extent poultry production. Important crops are also wheat and barley. In the hilly area, wine production is the most important activity, especially around Bizeljsko and at the foothills of the Gorjanci. Fruit growing (apples) is also important. In the 1990s, strawberry production expanded substantially in the plain, while in Catez
ob Savi flowers and pot plants are grown in greenhouses heated with natural thermal water.
Industry is concentrated in towns along the main railway. In Sevnica, textile industry predominates (ladies' underwear and clothes, children's clothes), while in Brestanica there is a packaging plant, in Krško there is a pulp and paper mill, and in Brezice a furniture factory and brickworks. Only the central workshops of the Slovene Railways in Dobova have remained after 1995 from a once important metal industry.
The nuclear power plant near Krško (676 MW power), built in 1982 with joint Slovene and Croatian capital, makes the region very important for the Slovene electricity production sector. Negotiations have been taking place between the countries since 1991 regarding the distribution of the plant's ownership and liabilities. The power plant used to cover one third of electricity needs in Slovenia and one fifth in Croatia, which has been refusing to receive its share of electricity from 1998 untill the agreement in the beginning of 2003. There is a gas-steam power plant in Brestanica with a nominal power of 312 MW, used to provide additional power during peak consumption periods. Its operation is based on the use of gasoline and natural gas.
Within the service sector, the most important activities are trade, with small private companies prevailing, and tourism controlled by the Terme Catez company. Trade is noticeably concentrated in Brezice; since 1991, two shopping malls adapted to demands of Croatian customers have been built - one in Brezice and the other one at the Obrezje border crossing.
Industry is oriented predominantly towards the domestic market with the exception of the metal industry. Local industry was spared major shocks after 1991 and adapted to new conditions relatively successfully. Domestic private capital prevails, except for the pulp and paper mill in Krško where a Czech investor has been the majority shareholder since 1997. Since the entire region is faced with a lack of capital and new development schemes, it has not been able to carry out more radical restructuring. As a consequence, it is already lagging behind more agile Slovene regions.
Extensive road network
Due to its position along the Sava traffic route, the region is characterized by easy access in an international and interregional sense. Among major roads (totalling 291 km), the most important are the E70 Ljubljana-Zagreb road (planned to be constructed as a motorway after 2004), the Drnovo-Krško-Sevnica-Zidani Most-Celje road and the regional road Brezice-Mestinje through the Sotla valley. Besides these roads, there is - especially in lowland and hilly parts of the region - a dense network of local, almost entirely paved roads. All villages in the mountainous part of the region are accessible by road.
There are 30 000 passenger cars in the region - 430 cars per 1 000 persons, which is slightly below the national average.
A 52 km long section of the Ljubljana-Zagreb railway built in 1862 runs through the region. This double-track electrified railway is also the most important connection between Croatia and other countries in South-Eastern Europe and Central Europe. In Sevnica, the single-track local railway Sevnica-Trebnje branches off from the main railway.
In Cerklje ob Krki there is a large military airport, which belonged to the former Yugoslav army, and is now partly used by the Slovene army. The nearest civil airport is the Zagreb airport 45 km away, while the Ljubljana airport is 140 km away.
Rivers in the region are not navigable.
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