May the 25th, 2023 - INA is now officially planning the Zitnjak solar power plant after having gotten the green light from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development for its construction. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, last year, Croatia's well known national oil company INA began the construction of two new solar power plants, which will produce electricity to supply to the public distribution network. On top of that, it's also investing in the construction of solar power plants for its own needs.

As touched on above, INA has just received approval from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development for it to launch such an investment in the Zagreb area without the need to prepare an environmental impact study, something that is usually required when it comes to such investments.

To speak more specifically, the location of the new Zitnjak solar power plant would be at Ina Maziva. Now approval has been granted, the plans are for the construction of a power plant in which 1270 photovoltaic modules will be installed, and it will produce half a megawatt of electricity, which is enough for all of the current needs of Ina Maziva.

The location of the upcoming Zitnjak power plant and substation is planned in an area where there is currently a grassy area which spans about 28,000 square metres in total, where there are plants for the production and filling of packaging with motor oil, glass cleaners and other liquids, as well as the required office space.

As it is already an industrial zone, the assessment of the competent ministry is that there are will be no negative effects on the surrounding environment. The value of this investment by INA hasn't yet been publicly disclosed, since a public tender is still to follow, on which the start of the investment will entirely depend.

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

May the 23rd, 2023 - Pliva and E.ON recently put the strongest (but not the largest) Croatian solar power plant to date into function in Novi Marof. With everyone focused on the green transition and in a country with as many annual hours of sunshine as Croatia has, the move is an excellent one.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Pliva and E.ON recently officially put the solar power plant in Savski Marof at Pliva's production location into function. As both groups emphasised at the time, this is currently the most powerful Croatian solar power plant yet, with an installed capacity of 9.71 megawatts, which will meet thirty percent of Pliva's annual energy needs at that particular location.

Pliva and E.ON have otherwise been working on this joint project for the past year now, and this Croatian power plant was constructed earlier on and connected to the HEP system, and although neither side stated the amount of the investment, they said that it was "financed by an energy purchase agreement, that is, a PPA (power purchasing agreement)".

This new Croatian power plant covers 60,000 square metres, which is why it isn't the largest in Croatia, but it is currently the strongest in terms of installed power, boasting more than 17,800 solar panels.

"The most modern solar technologies were used in the construction of this power plant, and Pliva will bring energy savings of more than twenty percent annually,'' pointed out the president of Pliva Hrvatska/Croatia's board, Mihael Furjan, emphasising that this is an important part of their sustainable and green business strategy going forward, and that they are happy that this they've also contributed to the achievement of ESG (sustainable) goals both in the Republic of Croatia and in the European Union (EU) as a whole.

The president of the board of E.ON Hrvatska, Andreas Roring, is also very satisfied with that group's overall cooperation with Pliva, and he thanked and congratulated everyone on their work, adding that they now operate in fifteen markets, including across the Republic of Croatia.

"We're pleased that our customers in Croatia increasingly recognise the need for investments in energy. Solar panels have potential and they're the future, and they contribute not only to sustainability but also to savings and greater protection against the market rise in energy prices," said Roring.

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

December 8, 2022 - In the Split hinterland, 370 hectares of land are planned for energy projects, most of them focusing on the technology of solar power plants.

As Poslovni writes, in about ten days, the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development will open bids for energy capacities in the area of the Proložac Municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County. The area in question is a total of 3.7 million square meters, or 370 hectares (ha) of land suitable for installing solar power plants.

The open bidding for energy capacities could result in making this area one of the largest solar power plants in the world. In comparison, what is possibly the world's largest solar power plant, Enel Group Villanueva in Coahuila, Mexico, which has a capacity of 2,000 GWh per year, consists of two and a half million solar panels and covers an area of 2,400 hectares. The largest European solar energy power plant is Ceclavin in Extramadura in Spain, which has a capacity of 328 MW and covers 220 hectares of land with its 850,000 modules. That investment was 250 million euros, and the power plant provides enough electricity for almost 200,000 households.

Although it is unofficially speculated that there are several European players already in the game for this land in Croatia, it is known that a study has already been conducted for the solar power plant Proložac by the investor VSB Obnovljiva Energija Hrvatska, which plans to build a solar power plant project with a capacity of 11.25 MW and a connection capacity of 10 MW in this area. The project will cover 25 ha, of which the panels themselves account for 14.3 ha. If this project is compared with the total land, it is clear that the area has the capacity for about 15 such solar power plants and the total installed capacity of at least 150 MW. 

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

October the 17th, 2022 - Might Croatia become an established and successful electricity exporter with the proper development of offshore wind facilities?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, engulfed in the ongoing fear of rising electricity and gas prices, people are increasingly turning to greener, sustainable alternatives. Interest in solar energy is increasing across the country, which has been well and truly confirmed by HEP's data on the matter, as they are being overwhelmed by requests for solar power and household connections to said power source.

In the first six months of last year, there were only 295 requests of that nature, while in the same period this year, that number was a staggering six times higher. By the end of August 2022, almost 2,900 power plants had been installed, of which 1,540 were installed this year alone, reports HRT. Thirteen solar panels on the a roof with three households drawing power from them will be enough, homeowners hope, to slash their bills in half.

''We expect that the power plant will produce approximately 5,000 KWh per year, and in that case we'd actually manage to achieve significant savings on the level of electricity consumption. The system itself should pay for itself in five to six years," says Zoran Kordic, the manager and co-founder of the Green Energy Cooperative.

The number of Croatian households opting for solar power plants is constantly growing, and there are currently a little over 2,800 of them. "We have one solar factory in Croatia, which currently cannot cover all the needs we expect in the coming years. This is a great opportunity for Croatia to invest in this direction as well,'' said Vjeka Ercegovac from the economic interest association Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia.

"The problem is that we don't have enough staff. The number of companies installing solar panels on roofs just isn't enough for the Croatian market, and whoever gets involved in that market will do a good job," says Neven Duic, a professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding in Zagreb.

In addition, the "eternal" problem is this country's ridiculous and painfully slow administration. The connection to HEP's network is what people are typically waiting for the longest. "We have situations where people wait for six months. So, when the installation is already up, and you have to wait six months for the connection, these are situations that absolutely must not be permitted to happen,'' stated Kordic.

HEP also stated that there is a delay in resolving people's requests due to the great interest in this people suddenly have. "The increased interest people are having in solar panels, and thus the enormous increase in the number of requests for connections, is the result of the current energy crisis and the rise in the prices of energy and energy products, as well as tax incentives for the purchase and installation of photovoltaic panels," reads a HEP press release on the topic.

Everything is going in the direction of the Republic of Croatia being 100 percent renewable and self-sufficient when it comes to energy. It is precisely for this reason that the possibility of exploiting offshore wind in northern Adriatic waters is being very seriously considered. It would be, if it ever comes to fruition, a floating wind farm.

"It would theoretically produce 10 kWh of wind, which would be enough not only for Croatian needs, but also for exporting it elsewhere. So, with the development of offshore wind facilities, Croatia could become an exporter of electricity," said Duic. Due to the climatic conditions here in Croatia, Professor Duic believes that, in addition to electricity, we could also export green hydrogen, which could replace fossil fuels.

"Green" and independent

There is no shortage of positive experiences when it comes to savings made thanks to solar panels on your own roof. Igor Balazinec's house has been lit up for two years thanks to his own solar power panels, and the investment should pay for itself in a mere four years. They decided on this move, he says, in order to be "green", independent and to have zero electricity bills.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated news section.

September the 10th, 2022 - Krizevci in the continental part of Croatia is doing excellently when it comes to relying on solar power and becoming more and more green in the energy sense, with the number of Krizevci households using solar power doubling.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following a recently announced public call/invitation, the mayor of Krizevci, Mario Rajn, signed contracts with an impressive 39 Krizevci residents on the co-financing of the construction of solar power plants on the roofs of their houses.

This is the third year in a row that the co-financing programme for the construction of solar power panels has been implemented, and the number of users compared to 2021 has tripled.

"The people themselves are the backbone of the energy transition. We were the first to introduce this equipment co-financing programme, we were the first to co-finance a public photovoltaic power plant, and we were the first to open the Energy and Climate Office. I'd like to invite the others to use the funds from the call for the creation of project-technical documentation and to be ready next year when the tender opens," said Rajn.

Satisfaction with the increased number of users in Krizevci and beyond was expressed by expert associate Ivana Dubravec on behalf of the energy cooperative KLIK and the Energy and Climate Office, and she had to say the following:

"This year, we prepared as many as 48 applications for project documentation and 35 applications for the construction of solar power panels. It can be seen that our work is recognised within the city of Krizevci and beyond. I'd like to invite you to spread the positive word so that even more people will be able to receive help and that in 2023 we will build even more projects and power plants.''

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

July the 14th, 2022 - A mass Zagreb solar panel installation would see spending on electricity cut by a massive 80 percent. Although the Croatian capital has lagged a bit behind the rest of the country in terms of leaning more towards renewable energy sources and the overall green energy transition, it now wants to make up for it with giant steps forward, and even become a national leader.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Zagrebacki suncani krovovi/Zagreb solar panels company would be in charge of carrying out a large energy project of the same name, which aims to start the mass Zagreb solar panel installation on the city's public buildings. The move should ultimately, according to the announcement of Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic, bring 80 percent savings compared to the current costs for electricity energy and reduce CO2 emissions by the same impressive percentage.

The decision to establish a new city company was made at a recently held City Assembly. The company will have no employees, and it will manage investments of more than 300 million kuna. The project was presented at the end of last year when the Croatian Parliament adopted a programme entitled "Integrated solar power plants on public buildings, multi-apartment buildings and family houses and commercial buildings in the Zagreb area for the period from 2022 - 2024".

As explained by Zorislav Antun Petrovic, chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee of the Zagreb City Assembly, the goal of the programme is to increase the use of renewable energy sources while promoting the use of solar energy in public, private and commercial facilities across the capital city.

"The programme will enable the coordinated preparation and construction of integrated solar power panels on the roofs of existing buildings with the ultimate goal of providing electricity from renewable sources. The construction of solar power plants will make it possible to reduce operating costs, create the proper prerequisites for the decarbonisation of the buildings themselves, achieve energy and climate goals, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the share of renewable energy sources," explained Antun Petrovic.

The City Office for Economy, Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Planning, as well as the Regional Energy Agency of Northwest Croatia - REGEA, are both responsible for the operational implementation and management of the programme. The City of Zagreb noted that REGEA itself, as a non-profit institution, is neither registered nor authorised to perform the production or sale/supply of electricity. Therefore, for the purpose of implementing the investment part of the programme, i.e. mass Zagreb solar panel installation on the roofs of buildings, a trading company has been established with the aim of the efficient and timely preparation and implementation of the investments themselves: from design, securing financing to construction and management.

A detailed analysis of 567 of Zagreb's public buildings, excluding buildings owned by Zagreb/Zagrebacki holding, was carried out, and conceptual projects and requests for obtaining power consent for the first 150 were prepared. This is a total capacity of more than 10 MW with an investment value of more than 75 million kuna. According to the study presented by REGEA, it is expected that residents of the city could be involved in the extension of this project, and both the volume of the project and the size of the total investment would increase.

"There's been a successful application to the so-called The Norwegian Fund - a total of seven solar power panels with a power of about 1.3 MW, an investment value of 10 million kuna, with a grant of 85 percent. When preparing the investments themselves, all possible models of implementation will be considered, depending on the specific profile of the roof itself, i.e. the consumption of the specific location, which implies financing through grants from European Union (EU) funds, technical assistance funds from development banks and loans from commercial banks," they stated from the City of Zagreb.

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

May the 23rd, 2022 - Istrian apartment prices have shot up recently, and a new European Union (EU) plan regarding greener energy sources is set to contribute to even further price increases.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Istrian apartment prices have been climbing and climbing, and with the recent introduction of obligations to install solar panels for the production of electricity in all new residential buildings as part of an EU directive, they'll likely keep heading on an upward trajectory, writes Jutarnji list.

The European Commission (EC) recently announced the ''REPowerEU'' plan, which aims to quickly reduce the bloc's overall dependence on fossil fuels imported from Russia, against which there are harsh sanctions in place following their invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, and further work to encourage the green transition. As part of that move, among other things, the mandatory installation of solar panels on existing public and commercial buildings and all new residential buildings in early 2026 has been put into force.

"The cost of construction will certainly be higher for a new building, and relatively higher for existing ones," said the Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers (HKIG). The chamber also warned that the cost of investment and maintenance of each building should be looked at as a whole, and a cost analysis should be taken into account.

“If we look at the entire so-called life cycle of a building, then there will certainly be no increase in costs due to the installation of solar panels. This will reduce energy costs, which is a significant item when it comes to costs in the phase of using one building,'' the chamber noted.

As is well known, the price of Istrian apartments has been growing very significantly over recent years. Any slightly better position can hardly be bought for less than 2,000 euros per square metre, most often more. New construction, on the other hand, has now approached the price of 3,000 euros per square metre.

The cost of installing solar panels on these buildings ranges from 40 thousand to 70 thousand kuna.

For more, make sure to check out our lifestyle section.

May the 18th, 2022 - The Medulin solar power goal has been given a very welcome spring in its step in the form of a cash injection worth 3.06 million kuna in total.

One of the Republic of Croatia's (many) natural riches is the sheer amount of hours of unfiltered sunshine it gets on an annual basis, and one way in which Croatia could save an incredible amount of money, time and contribute in a very positive way to protecting the environment would be to continue to invest heavily in its solar power capacities. The Medulin solar power aim will certainly be launched thanks to this latest sum.

As Morski writes, based on the application of the Municipality of Medulin for the "Energy and Climate Change" programme, the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union (EU) Funds recently passed a decision on financing a project proposal entitled: "Increasing the capacity for solar energy production in public facilities of the Municipality of Medulin" in the amount of 3.06 million kuna. The Municipality of Medulin provided 287,889.00 kuna from its own funds for the project.

The project foresees the installation of seven photovoltaic power plants on the roofs of multiple buildings across Medulin, and each of the installed FNEs will be connected to the existing electricity network, with the aim of consuming most of the electricity produced at the facility and the eventual handover of "surplus" electricity which has also been produced back to the public electricity network, local portal Istra24 has learned.

The realisation of this praiseworthy project will enable the production of 0.234 MW from solar energy alone, resulting in savings and a better approach in regard to climate change and environmental protection. The newly installed capacities of the Municipality of Medulin for the use of energy from renewable sources will contribute to an increase in solar energy production by 330.42 MWh/year, while annual CO2 emissions will be reduced by as much as 52.41, according to a statement from the Municipality of Medulin.

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

May the 13th, 2022 - The Croatian company Valamar, which is huge and very well known in the tourism sector, is turning more and more towards solar power to provide electricity to its hotels by the year 2025.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the development of tourism in Croatia must be sustainable and be guided by the principles of the benefit of everyone and the environment, not pure profitability. This and more could be heard at the presentation of the cooperation between the Croatian company Valamar and E.ON recently in Porec.

It was emphasised that energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are one of the most important focuses of this principle.

SaIvana Budin Arhanic, a member of Valamar's Management Board, explained that they have been investing in renewable energy sources for years now, and currently they produce about about six percent of their own electricity. Over the past four years, Valamar has invested a total of 400 million kuna in energy efficiency projects.

"The amount of total electricity produced from RES corresponds to consumption on the island of Sv. Nikola in Porec and the tourist resources located here are completely covered from that source. However, the Croatian company Valamar, as a corporation, exclusively buys green energy, which in turn allows us to maintain the highest environmental EU standards,'' said Budin Arhanic. Alen Benkovic, Valamar's senior vice president for technology, pointed out that the 2nd and 3rd phases of the RES development project in Valamar are already being prepared.

"The plan is that by the year 2025, 20 percent of our consumption will come from our own sources. It's clear that there are many administrative and technical obstacles, but the goal is ambitious and we really do hope we manage to achieve it. It's more and more about respecting the environment and about ecology, but also security of supply and the price itself,'' said Benkovic.

Vedran Belamaric, Director of Energy Solutions at E.ON Croatia, pointed out that the project with the large Croatian company Valamar launched 2.5 years ago was very logistically demanding.

"This is a very innovative business model that includes a kind of ESCO, or BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model, so that at first the power plant is ours, until the sale of energy pays off, and then becomes the property of Valamar. It's a technically very demanding project that includes 26 locations with 68 facilities, installed capacities of 3.5 MW, which means about 5 GWh of electricity produced per year,'' explained Belamaric.

He added that they have significant problems, both in Istria and in the rest of Croatia, with bureaucracy and there are a number of solar power plants that have been built, but due to "paperwork" still can not be put into operation. Some of them have been waiting to be put into full function for more than a year now. The situation is almost the same with investments made by companies as with power plants installed by people themselves.

E.ON has implemented or is implementing about 50 projects across the Republic of Croatia for business users with a total installed capacity of 40 MW solar power plants, and they also have a large number of households in their impressive portfolio. Andreas Rorig, President of the Management Board of E.ON Croatia, pointed out at the aforementioned recent event in Porec that solar energy has the most significant growth potential in the coming years in Croatia.

"Istria and Dalmatia have 40 percent more insolation compared to, for example, Munich, creating the same percentage of earlier return on investment. By installing home solar power plants, we've helped our customers achieve energy efficiency and independence, and we're continuing to develop smart and diverse energy solutions tailored to the needs of modern households. Together with our business customers such as Valamar Riviera, Pliva, Zito Group, Bauhaus, Gavrilovic, Atlantic and other industry leaders and sustainability leaders, we're working hard in order to realise the solar potential of the Croatian market and shape that market together.

Throughout 2022, we're going to invest at least 12.5 million euros through BOT models with energy purchase agreements (PPAs) with our customers. In addition, we expect more than 25 million euros to invest in other solar projects that we're currently working on,'' concluded Rorig.

For more, check out our business section.