Supply: Energy Sources
Electricity
The installed electricity generating capacities in the Republic of Croatia include power plants owned by the HEP Group (Croation Power Company), a certain number of industrial power plants and a few privately owned power plants (wind power plants, small hydro power plants).
The total electricity generation capacity in Croatia consists of 4049,1 MW (Information published by the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship).
- 2078,6 MW Hydro Power Plants: Croatia has four major hydroelectric plants. The 486 megawatt (MWe) Zakucac hydroelectric plant is the largest power plant in Croatia, and is scheduled for renovation to improve its operability. A tender has been announced for the new 68.5 MWe Ombla hydroelectric plant proposed for a site on the Rijeka Dubrovacka river. Two additional hydropower plants have also been proposed, the 106 MWe Virje plant and the 42 MWe Lesce plant.
- 1440,5 MW Thermal Power Plants
- 192 MW TPP Plomin Ltd.
- 338 MW Nuclear Power Plant Krsko -50%: Croatia does not operate a nuclear power plant on its own territory, but it is 50 % co-owner of the Krško NPP (675 MW) in Slovenia. The co-ownership includes the partial responsibility for the nuclear waste produced.
Production of Electricity in 2008 according to energy sources in Croatia, as compared to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Austria and the European Union 15
Per Capita Consumption of Electricity since 1988 in Croatia, other CEEC, Austria, and the EU 15
There is a trend visible in the EU, that the demand for electricity is increasing more quickly than the total demand for energy. From the countries of Central and Eastern Europe shown above, so far only Slovenia shows this trend.
Electricity production balance in 2009
Electricity balance - 2009 | TWh | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
GROSS PRODUCTION, of which | 13.72 | 100 | |
hydro | 7.50 | 54.66 | |
nuclear | 0 | 0 | |
wind | 0.04 | 0.29 | |
thermal, of which | 6.18 | 45.04 | |
| ex-coal | 2.35 | 17.13 |
| ex-oil | 1.79 | 13.05 |
| ex-gas | 2.03 | 14.80 |
| ex-biomass | 0.01 | 0.07 |
NET PRODUCTION | 13.15 | 95.85 | |
Imports | 7.65 | 55.76 | |
Exports | -2.58 | -18.80 | |
Transport/distribution losses | -1.69 | -12.32 | |
TOTAL CONSUMPTION | 16.41 | 119.61 | |
Energy sector consumption | 0.41 | 2.99 | |
FINAL CONSUMPTION | 16.01 | 116.69 | |
| industry | 3.94 | 28.72 |
| transport | 0.25 | 1.82 |
| households, services | 11.81 | 86.08 |
Electricity production in Croatia according to energy sources, 2009
Electricity Grid
The electricity distribution grid has three different voltages; there are 903 kilometers of 400-kV lines, 1,224 kilometers of 220-kV lines, and 4,760 kilometers of 110-kv lines. There are also five 400 kilovolt (kV) substations, fifteen 220/110-kV substations and 140 110-kV substations. [Global Energy Network Institute]
Croatia is member of the "Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE)".
Oil and Natural Gas
Oil
In Croatia crude oil is produced from 35 oil fields and gas condensation products are obtained from 10 gas-condensation fields. This covers about 35 percent of total domestic demand.
Croatia has proven oil reserves in 2004 of 11.794m3. These are located southeast of Zagreb, along the Hungarian border, and along the Adriatic Sea.
Ina d.d. Company is the major owner of the INA CROPETROL and INA OSIJEK PETROL companies, which comprise 17 petrol stations. It manages 12 ENERGOPETROL petrol stations based on lease agreements. In 2004, total number of gas stations in Croatia was 715, of which 414 were owned by INA Group. [Ministry of Economy]
Gas
The reserves of gas in Croatia, like those for crude oil, are located mainly in three parts of the country: southeast of Zagreb, along the Hungarian border, and along the Adriatic Sea. Most of Croatia's natural gas is imported from Slovenia via a pipeline. There are 39 distribution companies in the Republic of Croatia, and total gas pipeline length is 15 260 km. Additionally there are two distribution companies for thown gas and LPG/air mixture, with the total network length amounting to 271 kilometers. Thus, the total distribution network in Croatia equals 15.531 kilometers. [Ministry of Economy]
Coal and Lignite
Coal
Total consumption of coal in Croatia is covered by the import. Brown coal and lignite are imported mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina and only a small portion from the Czech Republic; coke is mainly imported from the neighbouring countries while hard coal is purchased on the international market from the major hard coal exporters.
Heat Energy
In Croatia more than 10 per cent of total households are connected to district heating systems. Heat energy is produced either in cogeneration units for all large city districts or in heating plants for urban blocks and then distributed through steam and hot water pipelines to the heat stations located in facilities where the heat energy is delivered to final users.
The total installed capacity in 2004 amounts to about 3,6 GWt, out of which there is about 2,1GWt for production of energy for heating, while the rest is used for production of technological steam.
The households are delivered about 2,4 TWh pf heat energy per year through distribution thermal network of total length of almost 400 km.
Renewable Energy
The installed Capacities for Heat and Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sourcxes in Croatia for 2004 consists of:
Heat:
- 510 MW Biomass and
- 113,9 MW Geothermal Energy
Electricity:
- 12,74 kW Sun
- 6 MW Wind
- 26,7MW Small Hydro Power
Hydropower
Hydro power plants account for more than a half of the generating sources in the power system. Croatia is thus among the leading countries in energy production from renewable sources.
There are 25 hydro power plants in operation in Croatia today. They are of two types: reservoir and run-of-river. Organizationally, they are divided into 15 operative areas territorially grouped in three generation area and the independent operative area of Dubrovnik hydro power plant.
The largest Hydro Power Plant is that of Zakucac, with 486 MW installed capacity. Additional power plants are planned.
Further reading:
Bioenergy
When a national energy programme BIOEN was launched in 1997, Croatian bioenergy future took a new image. The BIOEN Programme vision is that by 2030 at least 15% of Croatian energy needs will be derived from biomass and waste. Although the BIOEN Programme was launched only in March 1997, significant results already have been achieved and included in the published Energy Strategy of the Republic of Croatia where bioenergy, unlike other renewables has a significant position in all analysed scenarios.
Current Status of Biomass Energy
In 2004, bio-energy accounted for 3.3% of the total energy supply of Croatia. The most important biomass resources are fuel wood and wood waste from the wood industry.
Biomass Energy Resource Potential
44 % of the country area is covered by forest. A further source of biomass for energy is the agricultural sector. According to the National Energy Program BIOEN (see: Energy Institute "Hrvoje Pozar" Ltd), the total energy potential of biomass in Croatia is 39 PJ.
Sawmill KraSIC
The project is implemented in Sawmill Krašic in central Croatia. Its goals are to increase the production of dry wood products, integrate into international trade flows of dry wood products and demonstrate the use of biomass in wood and lumber industry.
Sawmill Krašic is the first demonstration project for biomass utilisation in Croatia that has been initiated and completed under the auspices of the National Biomass and Waste Utilisation Programme (BIOEN). A new 1 MW wood waste boiler and two drying chambers with a combined volume of 170 m3 have been installed under the framework of the project. The project was initiated in 2001 under the umbrella of the bilateral technical assistance agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Croatia. The participants in the project included, in addition to Krašic Sawmill and the Ministry of the Economy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - SENTER, Biomass Technology Group (BTG) b.v. and Kara Energy Systems from the Netherlands, and Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar from Croatia. [Energy Institut]
ITC Varaždin
ITC Varaždin is a wood processing company situated near the town of Varaždin, in northern Croatia. The company produces wooden furniture and annualy processes approximately 35.000 m3 of wood trunks. The decline in demand for wood waste and the increase in demand for briquettes and pelletes led to the planning and building of the factory for their production.
In the years 2000 and 2001 the company produced approximately 5,000 tonnes of briquettes respectively and in the year 2002 approximately 8000 tonnes, all of which were sold to the Austrian market. The additional gain from briquette production amounted to 75,000 € for years 2000 and 2001, and 120,000 € for 2002.
The pelleting production line started in May 2002, having two trains with maximum total capacity of 2800 kg/h. The production was stopped shortly after start due to techical problems, but was recently resumed. [International Energy Agency]
Biodiesel Production
In May 2006, the first biodiesel production plant in Croatia – Modibit, located near the city of Ozalj – started its operation. The plant's capacity amounts to 20.000 tonnes per year. This was reported by Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar at the regular meeting of the European Energy Network in Bucharest in June, 2006. [Energy Institute]
Solar energy
Current Status of Solar Energy
According to an estimation by EIHP [interner LINK administration, energy institute hrvoje pozar], 12-15.000 m2 solar thermal collectors are in operation. Most of the PV systems in place are off-grid. The three grid connected systems with a total capacity of 48,84 kW are all located in the north of the country. There are two factories producing monocrystalline and amorphous solar cells in Novigrad, and Split, resp. The solar thermal market is dominated by imports from Germany and Turkey.
A solar radiation database was published by Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar and University of Split in autumn 2006.
Solar Energy Resource Potential
According to National Energy Program SUNEN (see: Energy Institute "Hrvoje Pozar" Ltd), the total energy potential of sun energy in Croatia is 100 PJ.
Pilot Project Solar Roof Špansko-Zagreb
The pilot project named t Solar roof Špansko-Zagreb supplies household heat and electricity using solar energy. The given yearly data has been compared with result simulations for the Zagreb area. On the roof of the building, the solar main sewers surfaces of 10 m 2 and solar PV modules that have the power of 7,14 kWp, have been placed. Storing of thermal energy for heating and preparation of the consumers warm water insures the solar fuel tank of volume 750 liters. When there is lack of energy from the Sun's radiation, as the additional energy source gas is used for the systems heating and warm water. The solar photovoltaic system works parallel with the plant for distribution network, which is meant for the use of electricity supply spent in the families house. The respective surplus of electricity is given to the distribution network. System produces highest electricity in the middle of the day, where disburdening nets help throughout peak-loads. During the time solar modules do not produce sufficient energy, additional energy needed is taken from the net. System has been designed to be fully automatic. Project consists of around 30 sensors with the possibility of measuring across 150 different parameters. The project uses new energy sustainable technology which is in the accordance with the environmental protection and sustainable development. With this ecological access, use of electric and thermal energy in the household has reduced broadcasts of noxious substances in the environment, that includes the greenhouse gas, called carbon dioxide, who contributes the most to the global warming. [Energy Institute]
Geothermal Energy
Current Status of Geothermal Energy
Croatia has geothermal reservoirs in the northern part of the country, characterized by high value geothermal gradients. At present, thermal water is used for space heating, heating of swimming pools, and in balneology. In 2000, the total installed capacity was 36.7 MWt.
Geothermal Energy Resource Potential
According to National Energy Program GEOEN (see: Energy Institute "Hrvoje Pozar" Ltd), total potential is estimated at 839 MWt. The potential of binary GeoPP constitutes about 48 MWe.
Wind Power
In 2008, almost 2 GWh of electricity were produced by wind power plants in Croatia.
The country's first wind farm was installed on the island of Pag in August 2004 by Adria Wind Power, and construction for another wind farm in Trtar-Krtolin near Sibenik by EnerSys started in December 2005 and entered operation. 14 wind power generators with an installed capacity of 14 MW are scheduled to produce 30 000 MWh/yr. The total investment costs were 12.8 million Euro, the project is financed through loans by Bank Austria Creditanstalt and Zagrebacka banka with a loan repayment period of 14 years.
The electricity will be purchased by HEP at the contracted price of 61 Euro per MWh. The agreement on electricity off-taking is settled for 15 years.
Further projects are planned by EnerSys in Orlice, between Sibenik and Split: 12 wind power generators with total electrical output of 9.6 MW are to be commissioned in 2007. Further, in Ponikve, the region of Dubrovnik, 17 wind power generators with total electrical output of 34 MW are planned to be realized during 2008.
The project developer Valalta from the Istrian peninsula and their German partner Wallenborn Projektentwicklung are preparing a project for a wind farm with 22 generators with a total capacity of 66 MW and total investment costs of 70 million Euro in Vratarusa, near Senj (region of Rijeka), and for further 34 wind power generators with a capacity of 80 MW are at Cicarija, on the Istrian peninsula near the Slovenian border. For the site Mazin in Lika country, preliminary plans exist.
Further reading:
- Adria Wind Power
- EnerSys- Gesellschaft für regenerative Energien mbH
- Wallenborn Projektentwicklung GmbH & Co. KG
- Renewable Energy in Croatia - Latest Developments and Challenges (PDF)
Support Mechanisms and Feed-In Conditions for Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources
The Croatian government has started to reform the energy sector, in order to push the share of renewable energy sources from presently 1 % to 5,8 % until 2010. The present Croatian energy law has been supplemented by five regulations, which are defined for the coming 12 years. They entered into force as from July 1st 2007.
The feed-in tariffs for electricity from RES are set according to the energy source it is generated from. Green electricity producers which have signed a contract with the market regulator are eligible for these tariffs.
Solar Energy | |
|---|---|
Solar Energy - output up to 10 kW | 3,40 kn/kWh (~ 0,47 €) |
Solar Energy – output from 10 kW to 30 kW | 3,00 kn/kWh (~ 0,41 €) |
Solar Energy – output larger than 30 kW | 2,10 kn/kWh (~ 0,29 €) |
Water Power | 0,69 kn/kWh (~ 0,09 €) |
Wind Power | 0,64 kn/kWh (~ 0,09 €) |
Biomass | |
Energy from wood, agricultural biomass | 1,20 kn/kWh (~ 0,16 €) |
Energy from residual biomass of the wood working industry | 0,95 kn/kWh (~ 0,13 €) |
Geothermal Power | 1,26 kn/kWh (~ 0,17 €) |
Biogas | 1,20 kn/kWh (~ 0,16 €) |
Energy from Liquid Biofuels | 0,36 kn/kWh (~ 0,05 €) |
Energy from Landfill Gas and Sewage Gas | 0,36 kn/kWh (~ 0,05 €) |
other RES (e.g. tidal power) | 0,60 kn/kWh (~ 0,08 €) |
Water Power Plants - output up to 10 MW | |
|---|---|
- up to 5000 MWh annually | 0,69 kn/kWh (~ 0,09 €) |
- from 5000 MWh to 15 000 MWh annually | 0,55 kn/kWh (~ 0,08 €) |
- larger than 15 000 MWh annually | 0,42 kn/kWh (~ 0,06 €) |
Wind Power | 0,65 kn/kWh (~ 0,09 €) |
Biomass | |
Energy from wood, agricultural biomass | 1,04 kn/kWh (~ 0,14 €) |
Energy from residual biomass of the wood working industry | 0,83 kn/kWh (~ 0,11 €) |
Geothermal Power Plants | 1,26 kn/kWh (~ 0,17 €) |
Biogas | 1,04 kn/kWh (~0,14 €) |
Energy from Liquid Biofuels | 0,36 kn/kWh (~ 0,05 €) |
Energy from Landfill Gas and Sewage Gas | 0,36 kn/kWh (~ 0,05 €) |
other RES (e.g. tidal power) | 0,50 kn/kWh (~ 0,07 €) |
| Higher tariffs | Lower tariffs |
|---|---|---|
micro CHP up | 0,61 kn/kWh (~ 0,08 €) | 0,32 kn/kWh (~ 0,04 €) |
small CHP with | 0,51 kn/kWh (~ 0,07 €) | 0,26 kn/kWh (~ 0,04 €) |
CHP from 1 MW | 0,44 kn/kWh (~ 0,06 €) | 0,22 kn/kWh (~ 0,03 €) |
CHP larger than | 0,30 kn/kWh (~0,04 €) | 0,15 kn/kWh (~ 0,02 €) |
1 € is approx. 7,4105 HRK (as of Feb. 1st 2010, according to OeNB)
The second regulation is dealing with subsidies for electricity from RES and cogeneration units. It is defining the amount of the subsidy and how it has to be accounted, raised and allocated.
