Unit 6 is the largest power generating project in the history of independent Slovenia and creates about a third of the country's power supply.

The safety system that detected the error last night first stopped the turbine and then shut down the entire unit. This has been the second operating error since 2016, when Unit 6 was put into operation. The Šoštanj Thermoelectric Plant is now supplying power by relying on Unit 4's gas turbines, but this isn't sufficient, and some electricity needs to be imported.

The energy sector union leader Branko Sevčnikar cautions that while such errors do sometimes take place, Unit 6 tends to be somewhat special in this regard.