»The Soča, the most beautiful river in Europe«

The Soča River is an important water source, and its water potential was used early for transport and energy production, in the last century especially for electricity. For this reason, the Soča Valley is (was) a permanent »testing ground« for large hydropower plans. Several hydropower plants were built in its middle and lower reaches, generating over 1,100 GWh of electricity per year, and the potential of the Soča River is estimated at 1,800 GWh. In the period from the Second World War until Slovenia’s independence, ambitious plans for the construction of hydropower plants appeared every decade. The chronology of events and the changing arguments »for« and »against« construction are presented, and the development of the discussions is also placed in the context of the development of the idea of nature conservation and participation.