Environment Ministry: Taraba Holds Informal Talks with President Pellegrini

Bratislava, 4 March (TASR) - Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) held an informal meeting with President Peter Pellegrini to discuss issues related to the use of water as a precious resource for energy development in Slovakia, industrial modernisation, and the utilisation of Slovakia's potential for the development of artificial intelligence (AI), TASR was told by the Environment Ministry's communications department on Wednesday. "I informed the head of state about the prepared state aid scheme, which will enable energy-intensive companies to maintain and improve their competitiveness," said Taraba, adding that he considers it to be crucial that resources from the Environmental Fund will be used to compensate companies. "We'll also strengthen investments from the Modernisation Fund in projects to reduce the energy intensity of local authorities," added the minister. Taraba also raised the issue of more effective support for investment in AI. "Without building additional sources of electricity generation, we have no chance of exploiting the potential to attract major projects, and the president and I agreed on this," he noted, adding that he appreciated the president's support for the Malinec-Latky pumped storage hydroelectric power plant project. am