Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Dr. Marjan Plaper

The ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Dr. Marjan Plaper, the leading designer of the inclusion of our electric power system in the European system and associate of the Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute was held on 19 September at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana.

Marjan Plaper was born on 25 August 1918 and died on 19 April 2003. He started his career at the Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute and subsequently lectured to many generations of students at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He was also the dean of the faculty from 1963 to 1965. At the beginning of his career, he assisted Professor Milan Vidmar and did his doctoral thesis in 1953 under his mentorship. He wrote several important textbooks and managed the study preparation at the institute, which were the basis of the development of electric power networks in Slovenia. His most important works was related to connecting the Yugoslavian and western European electric power systems in 1974, thus enabling substantially better quality of electricity in our system. He was also a distinguished professor of the University of Ljubljana since 1989. Bust statue to commemorate his life was also erected in 2007 in his birth city of Novo mesto.

 At this year's ceremony, organised by the CIGRE association in Slovenia, which was conducted by CIGRE's president Mag. Marko Hrast, and other distinguished guests also spoke about Mr Plaper's life: Prof. Fr. Igor Papič, Prof. Dr. Gregor Dolinar, Prof. Dr. Borut Žalik, Prof. Dr. Maks Babuder, Silvo Balant and Mag. Vekoslav Korošec. Miran Marinšek presented the current Slovenian electric power transmission situation and the challenges for the future, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Gubina opened some critical questions for the future development of the electric power system.