February the 17th, 2023 - As many as 87 Zagreb streets are set to lose electricity for a few hours today, here's a full list. If you live here in Zagreb, it might be worth checking if yours is on it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, here's a full list of Zagreb streets and households/numbers where the electricity supply interruption has been announced for today (the 17th of February 2023) due to ongoing HEP works.

HEP teams are monitoring the current electricity works on a daily basis, and they're busy repairing and maintaining the electric power network throughout the Republic of Croatia, including right here in the City of Zagreb. As a result, there are unfortunately frequent outages being experienced. Numerous temporary electricity shutdowns have been announced for today in the area covered by Elektra Zagreb. During the morning, households, companies and other buildings in as many as 87 Zagreb streets will be without electricity, writes Vecernji list.

Let's get to the point - from 09:00 to 13:00, there will be no electricity at many of the following addresses located on Zagreb streets:

• Ulica Dubrava 120-144 par., 148, 154-156 par.,
• Bakaračka 4, 1-5 nep.,
• Barbatska,
• Beketinečka,
• Belišćanska,
• Belišćanski odvojak I. i II.,
• Beljska,
• Bogdanovačka,
• Cerička,
• Čagljinska,
• Čikatska,
• Diljska 2-38 par., 1-29 nep., 29/A,
• Dragozetička,
• Đurđevečka,
• Garćinska,
• Glavotočka,
• Gračačka 2-6 par., 6/A, 1-3 nep.,
• Gračački odvojak,
• Gradinska,
• Gradiška,
• Hlebinska,
• Hlebinski odvojak 2-4 par., 8-10 par., 18-do kraja par., 1-do kraja nep.,
• Ivankovačka,
• Ivanjska 2-26 par., 26/A, 1-27 nep.,
• Jadarska,
• Jarminska,
• Javorinska,
• Jurandvorska,
• Kajkavska 2,
• Kanarinska 62/A, 64-do kraja par., 59-do kraja nep.,
• Kapuncinska 34-42 par., 46-48 par., 52-do kraja par., 47-do kraja nep.,
• Kijevska 7,
• Kloštarska,
• Kobaška,
• Košljunska,
• Kurilovečka,
• Kutjevačka,
• Ulica Sjtepana Lacka 2-20 par., 1-19 nep.,
• Legradska,
• Limska 2-do kraja par., 1-17 nep., 17/A, 21-do kraja nep.,
• Lipovljanska,
• Medvejska,
• Mejska,
• Mikanovečka,
• Mrzlopoljska,
• Nemetinska,
• Okućanska,
• Opatovečka,
• Osječka 2-8 par., 12-28 par., 34-36 par., 50-114 par., 1-47 nep., 51-89 nep.,
• Osorska,
• Otočačka,
• Pitomačka,
• Pivska,
• Pleternička,
• Podgoračka,
• Podvežićka,
• Povljanska,
• Prugovečka,
• Rajička 2-26 par., 1-23 nep.,
• Rudopoljska 2-16 par., 1-do kraja nep.,
• Sevnička,
• Sibinjska,
• Slavonska 2-36 par., 40-72 par., 1-47 nep., 61,
• Slavonska-odvojak,
• Sokolovečka,
• Sopnička 2-24 par., 24/A, 1-13 nep., 13/A, 19-21 nep.,
• Sotinska,
• Suhajska,
• Šatorska 2-16 par, 1-19 nep,
• Šljivoševečka,
• Štefanovečka 54-80 par, 81-97 nep,
• Tarska,
• Tovarnička,
• Valpovačka,
• Vardarska 2-20 par, 24-54 par, 1-31  nep, 37/A, 37/B,
• Vinodolska 8-68 par, 68/A, 7-15 nep, 15/A, 17-23 nep, 37-71 nep,
• Virovitička,
• Voćinska 6-18 par, 18/A-18/C par, 20-50 par, 1-11 nep, 23-49 nep,
• Vratnička,
• Vrhovinska,
• Vrpoljska,
• Vukovarska 2-10 par, 14-28 par, 32-26 par, 36/A, 9-21 nep, 27-29 nep, 29/A, 31-35 nep,
• Zametska,
• Zlobinski odvojak

From 10:00 to 12:00, there will be no electricity available at the following addresses/in the following areas:

• Omedini
• Jačkovečki Klanec
• Brežanska

''On the topic of electricity, it's worth noting that however irritating this is to deal with, no drastic disruptions are expected in terms of prices. The Republic of Croatia and the rest of Europe are more experienced than last winter and will welcome the next one much more prepared,'' said energy expert Daniel Srb. He analysed the trends in the electricity and gas price market a little more than a month before the expiration of the government's measures for the protection of households and the domestic economy, which, among other things, set a fixed price for electricity and gas, which will remain valid until March the 31st of this year. In the spring, when the measures do expire, the figures expressed on our energy bills aren't going to come as a shock to us,'' concluded Srb.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

February the 7th, 2023 - HEP has some big plans as we go forward, with the hope to increase the number of integrated solar power plants they have from 63 to 200 by the year 2025.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HEP Proizvodnja (Production) has put an integrated solar power plant with a power of 215 kW into operation, and it is installed on facilities in the area of the Sisak Thermal Power Plant (TE-TO Sisak). Preparations are now also underway for the trial operation of an integrated solar power plant with a power of 200 kW in the Thermal Power Plant Osijek (TE-TO Osijek).

The investment in the design and construction of these two power plants amounted to an enormous 389 thousand euros, of which 40 percent, or almost 156 thousand euros of the total amount, was co-financed by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund.

Both of these power plants will produce electricity according to the concept of a customer with their own production, which will enable a significant reduction in costs for the consumption of electricity at the locations of HEP's power plants.

The HEP Group now has 63 integrated solar power plants, with a total capacity of 2.7 MW. A new investment cycle is about to start, the implementation of which will increase the total number of solar power plants at HEP facilities to more than 200 by the end of 2025.

"Solar panels on the roofs of our buildings are an essential element of the renewable development scenario, which we're intensively implementing despite the financial burden of 900 million euros that we took on as part of the government's package of measures to limit the growth of energy prices. By this summer, we will have ten large non-integrated solar power plants in permanent operation, and by 2030 we plan to have 700 megawatts of solar and wind power," said Frane Barbaric, President of the Management Board of HEP.

The director of HEP Proizvodnja, Robert Krklec, added that a cycle of reconstruction and revitalisation of hydropower plants worth as much as 570 million euros is currently being carried out, and that projects for the modernisation of thermal energy facilities by building new high-efficiency blocks are also being implemented.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

September the 29th, 2022 - HEP is set to pour a massive 1.7 billion kuna into the production and supply of electricity and thermal energy for the City of Zagreb.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/PD VL native tim writes, despite the fact that it bears a significant burden on the implementation of Croatian Government measures to limit the growth of energy and energy prices, HEP is continuing to develop its production portfolio in the current difficult energy situation with the aim of increasing the degree of energy self-sufficiency across the Republic of Croatia. One such investment is currently being implemented in the heart of the City of Zagreb.

With the completion of the construction of the new combi-cogeneration block worth a massive 900 million kuna at Elektrana-toplana Zagreb (KKE EL-TO Zagreb), almost 200,000 residents of the western part of the capital will have a long-term supply of thermal energy, and commercial consumers will have a supply of industrial steam.

The reduction of all pollution

The plan is to put KKE EL-TO Zagreb, with an electric power of 150 MWe and a thermal power of 114 MWt, into trial operation in the first half of next year. The construction of the block is already at an advanced stage and 85 percent of the planned works have been completed so far. Complete production equipment has been installed, and the block is already connected to the 110 kilovolt network, the high-pressure gas pipeline, as well as to most connection points with the EL-TO Zagreb plant.

The expected average annual production of KKE EL-TO Zagreb is 675 GWh of electricity, 450 GWh of thermal energy for the central heating system of the City of Zagreb, and 160 GWh of industrial steam.

The new KKE EL-TO block will, thanks to Siemens' state-of-the-art combi-cogeneration technology, allow for the simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy in the connection process, with a high degree of efficiency of 90 percent. It will achieve more than 25 percent of the primary energy savings of natural gas, which is extremely important as part of the European Union's overall efforts to reduce the bloc's dependence on manual gas as much and as quickly as possible.

In addition to all of the above, by replacing worn-out inefficient units at the location, the specific emissions of CO2 and pollutants in flue gases will also be significantly reduced. The turbines of the new block are designed for the possibility of subsequent use of alternative gas fuels, including hydrogen.

The new cogeneration block is being built by the Italian company FATA S.p.A., a member of the Danielli Group, with which the Agreement for the design, construction, procurement and installation of equipment and the Agreement on long-term maintenance of the power plant was signed. Croatian companies - Elektroprojekt, Inzenjering za naftu i gas and others - were all also hired to be engaged in various types of work.

A heat accumulator worth 100 million kuna was also constructed at the very same location, which will optimise the production of heat and electricity and help compensate for the increased consumption of heat energy. The heat accumulator will be put into operation during the upcoming heating season this year. The final works of the second season of the realisation of the revitalisation and modernisation project of one third, or 68.5 kilometers, of the hot water network of the City of Zagreb are also now firmly underway. The project is worth 700 million kuna in total was co-financed using EU funds.

The total value of the mentioned three projects with which HEP is working to increase the long-term security of the production and supply of electricity and thermal energy in the City of Zagreb amounts to approximately 1.7 billion kuna.

The construction of KKE EL-TO Zagreb is part of HEP's wider Renewable Scenario, which will increase production capacity by an additional 1,500 MW from 2018 to 2030, of which 700 MW will come from solar power plants and wind power plants, 570 MW will come from hydropower plants, and 230 MW will come in the form of high-efficiency cogenerations.

The long-term orientation towards renewable energy sources is illustrated by the fact that HEP is currently developing about 60 RES projects with a total power of about 1,400 MW and a value of around 11 billion kuna in total.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

June 27, 2022 - You see them on the street, you see them on your bills, and you hear them on the phone. Who is who among the Croatian public services and institutions? We'll tell you more in this short guide.

If moving to Croatia is one of your short-term projects, or even if you're already in the process of adaptation, you may have heard of or been in contact with one of these institutions. These Croatian public services and institutions will be part of your daily life here, and it is true that sometimes it can be a bit confusing trying to distinguish them from each other.

In this short guide, we've listed some of the Croatian public services and institutions that you will be in contact with most often, and we hope that this will help you when you don't know where to go for a certain task, or when it's time to do your accounts at home.

MUP

If you're working on getting your residency or citizenship in Croatia, you have most likely gone to a local MUP office. It's also likely that they've called you on the phone or have written you an email or two. MUP is the Ministry of the Interior, and it provides services to both locals and foreigners alike. At MUP, you will also carry out procedures to obtain your passport, your driver's license, your Croatian identification card, and more.

HZZO 

HZZO is the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, it's part of the Ministry of the Health and it includes everything that is related to public health insurance services in the country. As you well know, public health insurance is mandatory if you reside in Croatia. If you wish to enroll in the Croatian public health system, you must go to the HZZO offices in your city of residence. There you can also find out everything related to your health coverage, sign up with a family doctor, and more.

HZZ

HZZ is the Croatian Employment Office, and it serves to report your current employment status, whether you've found a job or if you don't currently have one. At the Employment Office, you can also find job openings that match your skills. 

HZMO

The Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) is a public institution that is dedicated to the implementation of mandatory pension insurance based on generational solidarity (1st pillar of the pension insurance) and the child benefit entitlement procedure.

Porezna uprava

Porezna uprava is the Croatian Tax Administration, and it's a unique and independent administrative organisation within the Finance Ministry whose basic task is the application and supervision of tax regulations and laws on the collection of contributions. Most of your bills will be issued by Porezna uprava. They'll also issue you with tax rebates.

FINA

FINA, the Financial Agency, is a leading Croatian company in the field of financial and electronic service provision. Although state-owned, Fina operates exclusively on a market basis and cooperates with banks, the Croatian National Bank, numerous business systems, and other similar entities. A multitude of payments can be paid at their offices.

Hrvatska Pošta

Hrvatska Pošta is the Croatian Post Office, and it has locations in every city and town across the country. In addition to being the place where you can send letters and packages throughout the country and even abroad, it's also the place where you can pay for your phone, electricity, water, health insurance, and more.

HEP

A state-owned company, HEP is the Croatian Electricity Company and it is the only energy entity authorised to provide a public electricity supply in the Republic of Croatia. It also performs the activities of electricity production and heat production for central heating systems, in addition to the management, maintenance, construction, and development of the electricity distribution network.

HAC 

Hrvatske autoceste or Croatian Motorways Ltd is a Croatian state-owned limited liability company tasked with the management, construction, and maintenance of motorways in Croatia.

HRT

Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) performs the activity of providing public broadcasting services. On their radio and television channels, they dedicate themselves to the dissemination of news, information, culture and other related content. Even if you don't watch their channels or listen to their radio stations, a bill of 80 kuna from HRT will always arrive at your home.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February the 2nd, 2022 - The up and coming Medjimurje solar power plant is set to become the largest in all of the Republic of Croatia as HEP continues its investment cycle.

As Novac/Jutarnji writes, back in December 2021, the Kosora Jug solar power plant with a connection capacity of 2.1 MW began regular operation. This is the realisation of the first phase of the planned construction in the southern part of the Kosora Work Zone in the area of Vrlika. Almost 5,500 photovoltaic modules have been installed in the 2.6-hectare power plant, and the expected annual production of about 2.9 million kWh will be enough to meet the consumption of approximately one thousand households. HEP has invested around 11 million kuna in this power plant.

At the other end of Croatia, the construction of the largest solar power plant is starting. In January this year, HEP Proizvodnja and Koncar - Energy and Transport Engineering signed a contract for the design and construction of the Donja Dubrava Solar Power Plant, commonly referred to as the Medjimurje solar power plant. SE Donja Dubrava will be located on an area spanning around 17.6 hectares in the Municipality of Sveta Marija in Medjimurje County, next to the Dubrava Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The new Medjimurje solar power plant will have a maximum output power of 9.99 MW, or 12.35 MW of installed power, with the expected annual production of SE Donja Dubrava standing at around 14.8 GWh. Its production will avoid emissions of 167 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide during 30 years of operation.

The specificity of the location where the new Medjimurje solar power plant will be constructed is the fact that there is an existence of a significant amount of wood mass, with an approximate volume of 1,400 cubic metres. This wood mass will be converted into wood that will be used as fuel at the location of the BE-TO Sisak biomass cogeneration plant. The total value of the signed contract is almost 58 million kuna, and the deadline is eleven months.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 6 Oct, 2021 - Standard&Poor’s (S&P) ratings agency has upgraded the credit rating of Croatia's state-owned energy producer Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) from BB+ to BBB-, so that now it is the same as the sovereign credit rating.

It is the first time since 2009 that HEP's credit rating has been restored to investment grade, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

S&P said in its report that the upgrade reflects HEP’s success regarding robust credit metrics in volatile hydrological conditions and commodity prices.

This is a result of HEP’s gradual evolution towards a market-oriented company with a more flexible cost structure. In comparison to what was previously captured in the rating, HEP shows it is able to more effectively and more robustly manage its exposure to commodity prices and lower implicit volatility. A very good track record proves the company is committed to maintaining financial strength, the report says.

S&P "has recognised our continued efforts to improve risk management and our overall financial position in the challenging circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic," the chairman of HEP's management board, Frane Barbarić, said.

He recalled that, thanks to the good business results in 2020, HEP paid a portion of its profit, notably HRK 840.6 million, into the state budget in September. The company has continued to operate successfully, generating a consolidated net profit of HRK 1.25 billion in the first half of 2021, which is 291 million more than in the first half of 2020.

For more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 1 Sept, 2021 - The HEP national electricity provider paid HRK 840.6 million of last year's annual profit, into the state budget, HEP said on Wednesday following a decision by its general assembly on the distribution of its 2020 profit.

The decision on this contribution to the budget was made based on a government decision on the amount, method and deadline for state-owned companies, who are obliged to pay 60% of their 2020 profit after tax into the state budget.

HEP said in a press release that despite the unfavourable business circumstances in 2020, it had generated a profit amounting to HRK 1.4 billion. Based on the assembly's decision, which was held at the end of August, HRK 70 million will be set aside as legal reserves, while HEP will retain HRK 490.3 million of its profit and as mentioned earlier, HRK 840.6 million will go to the state budget.

HEP noted some of its investments during 2021, highlighting the Kosinj hydroelectric project which the government declared a strategic investment project n July. Together with the Senj 2 project, these are the two largest investment projects for HEP since Croatia's independence. The Senj 2 project is valued at HRK 3.4 billion and will produce 412 megawatts (MW) of electricity into the grid.

(€1 = HRK 7.5) 

For more on business, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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ZAGREB, 28 Aug, 2021 - A protest rally was held in the town of Novigrad na Dobri on Saturday against the hydro-power plant "HE Lešće" on the River Dobra, with protesters pointing out the plant's detrimental effects.

The rally brought together about 300 participants: locals, activists as well as representatives of local authorities. They warned about the damage done to the flora and fauna in the environment and highlighted the erosion of the banks of the River Dobra.

Karlovac County Prefect Martina Furdek-Hajdin told the rally that the state-run Croatian power company (HEP) has assumed the obligation to inform the local 112 centre and the public when the Lešće power plant's turbines were turned on to release tidal energy.

She said that the local authorities were doing their best to prevent the recurrence of bad experience.

In 2010 the then Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor inaugurated the trial run of Lešće, the first hydroelectric power plant built in Croatia since it gained independence in 1991. During that ceremony, it was said that this HRK 700 million power plant, located on the Dobra river, had a capacity of 42.29 megawatts and would produce 98 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

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June the 25th, 2021 - HEP has certainly been ''helpful'' to the currently melting reisdents of Zagreb by turning on their radiators in the middle of an intense heatwave.

We're currently on Brac and spending most of our time trying to remain awake as the sun drains every atom of energy from us. A lot of lying under the air conditioner and trying to imagine what a cold breeze actually feels like has been going on. The heatwave is a strong one, and despite our house being right next to the sea, there's very little rescue from the sun's burning rays these days.

One thing we're thankful for is that we're not currently at home in Zagreb, where the temperatures are soaring and swimming in Jarun or the Sava just doesn't quite cut it. HEP has made the situation a lot worse for some of the city's residents by mistakenly turning on their heating, full blast. A big help indeed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, confused residents of Vladimir Filakovac Street in the City of Zagreb were more than just a little surprised yesterday when they felt that their radiators were heating up to the highest strength possible during the intense heat of the day, reports RTL.

“Our radiators are hot, they're heating up to the highest possible strength. Is that happening just to us or is it everyone? What's going on?''  awoman from Zagreb asked on social media.

In the middle of the ongoing and absolutely exhausting heatwave, the valve broke down, which caused a temporary leakage of thermal energy for indoor heating into the building system, they explained from HEP-Toplinarstvo.

''Immediately after working out what had happened, the defect was rectified. We'd like to take this opportunity to apologise to our end customers for that situation and note that now the heating system in the building in question is functioning properly,'' they assured from HEP-Toplinarstvo, understanding that having the heating on full blast during an intense heatwave isn't really a much desired situation.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

May 24, 2021 - The HEP Plin national gas provider opened a new office building in Slatina, an investment worth HRK 6.5 million, Croatia's national electricity provider (HEP) said on Monday, adding that it was continuing to develop its gas business.

The Slatina plant, one of HEP Plin's ten stations, employs eight workers, operates a distribution grid of 227 kilometers, and supplies 4,077 clients, of which 3,363 are households and 714 industrial consumers. In 2020, 86 million-kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas were delivered to consumers, HEP said in a press release.

HEP Plin, which is part of the HEP Group, manages 4,419 kilometers of gas networks in Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem and Krapina-Zagorje counties. It is the biggest distributor in Croatia in terms of the length of its gas grid. With almost 100,000 consumers, HEP Plin is one of the largest gas suppliers in the country.

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