May the 20th, 2022 - The construction of the second Croatian underground gas storage facility is now underway following approximately sixteen very long years of discussions on the matter.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, after almost sixteen years of discussions and plans to build the second Croatian underground gas storage facility (PSP) Grubisno Polje (GP), the war in Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis have suddenly made such strategic facilities very desirable and deeply necessary.

Although activities on the project began in parallel with the Russian attack on Ukraine back in February, the start of works on the new Croatian gas storage facility were inaugurated just a few days ago in Grubisno Polje by the new Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Davor Filipovic.

Unlike the existing "large" gas storage facility, PSP Okoli, with a capacity of about 550 million cubic metres of gas, PSP GP will be smaller, about 40 million m3, but it will be a flexible, or peak, storage unit.

The concession is relatively small, which in practice means that despite the large storage capacity, it will take a long time, especially if its occupancy falls below half, to release this gas into the Croatian energy system. The PSP GP will be developed in two phases and the total estimated value of the project is around 500 million kuna. It is estimated that the new Croatian gas storage facility could be in operation by the year 2027 at the very earliest.

Vlado Vlasic, the director of PSP, pointed out that currently, this project, both for PSP and for society as a whole, is the most important development and investment activity in Croatia.

"After a full 35 years since the commissioning of the storage facility in Okoli, the company PSP, as the operator of the Croatian gas storage system, is building another Croatian gas storage facility. Today, when the whole of the EU is dealing with the issue of providing people with the necessary energy sources, we're here to mark the beginning of the construction of a strategically important energy project.

Market disturbances

Over more recent years, the energy market has become very flexible through stock exchanges, enabling a secure and mostly cheap supply of gas, oil and electricity itself from global sources. As a result, strategic gas storage facilities have become questionable, as was the case here in Croatia last year.

However, situations such as Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the West's reaction to it by imposing sanctions have called the security of the supply into question, and prices have increased several times over. That said, the war in Ukraine will not last forever, and energy traders are aware of that.

Owing to all of these variables, it's almost impossible to estimate what the situation on the gas market will be by 2028, when PSP Grubisno Polje will certainly be in operation - both in terms of the security of supply and prices on the global market, and in terms of increasing energy transition in which there is less and less space for gas.

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September the 28th, 2021 - World Ozone Day is celebrated on September the 16th every year, and something very interesting took place in Croatia when a large action involving the afforestation of Grubisno Polje happened with the help of a drone.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, what took place at Grubisno Polje is the Croatian O2 Project, the first afforestation campaign in Croatia to be carried out in this brand new and modern way using the product Seed Bombs, which are self-germinating packets of tree seeds.

The founders of the Croatian O2 project, Dusan Jelic and Goran Ladisic jointly devised natural and ecological solutions for growing young shoots and afforestation, which will reduce excessive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) responsible for climate change. They explained in more detail what exactly the Seed Bombs product represents.

“In Seed Bombs, in addition to the primary seed of the trees, there are also seeds of accompanying plant species. It isn't enough to simply plant a certain number of large trees for successful afforestation. Such a principle leads to the development of the culture of that type of tree alone, and not the development of a healthy forest habitat (a healthy ecosystem).

Furthermore, a large amount of CO2 is absorbed not only by trees but also by other parts of a healthy ecosystem (soil, grass, shrubs). Therefore, we define the afforestation's success according to the number of m2 of the restored ecosystem, and not one tree. The O2 project brings innovations in the field of biotechnology and the forestry sector, through the development of the first autonomous fleet of drones for rapid afforestation and the restoration of forest ecosystems. An innovative and patented formula for the production of protective seed bombs guarantees the high efficiency of seedling germination from seed material, and supports their rapid development in their first years of life,'' explained Goran Ladisic from the O2 Project.

The afforestation initiative at Grubisno Polje was joined by students from the Ivan Nepomuk Jemersic Elementary School which is close to the area, supported by Mayor Zlatko Madjeruh, residents of Grubisno Polje, as well as journalists and volunteers. The whole afforestation action took place with the help of Milan Domazet and Ivan Vidakovic from the company AIR RMLD, whose drone was used for afforestation, while Ljubomir Lokin from 3D Tech made the seed thrower.

The initiative was also supported by the insurance company Grawe, whose numerous employees participated in the project.

The President of the Management Board of Grawe, Natasa Kapetanovic, pointed out that the project wanted to emphasise the importance of applying a scientific approach in initiatives to preserve our planet.

''The scientific principles of the O2 Project have shown us that there's really a big difference between the spontaneous planting of trees and complete afforestation. With a comprehensive approach to afforestation using technological innovations, the O2 Project can further educate us about the important facts of reducing the carbon footprint and new principles of better construction and the preservation of a healthy ecosystem,'' said Kapetanovic.

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