Croatian state-owned power utility HEP has issued a tender for the design of the HPP Kosinj project, valued at €8 million. The project aims to harness the remaining hydro potential in the Lika and Gacka river basins by expanding the existing HPP Senj system.
The development involves constructing a large reservoir and additional capacities to shift electricity production to peak demand periods. With flexible hydro aggregates capable of rapid output adjustments, the project will inject significant regulation power into the network.
Built in the 1960s, the HPP Senj system currently utilizes the hydro potential of the Lika and Gacka rivers through two hydropower plants, Sklope and Senj. In an average hydrological year, it contributes approximately 20% of the electricity generated by HEP’s hydropower plants, or 10% of the company’s total production. It also meets around 5% of Croatia’s overall electricity demand while avoiding approximately 900,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
The second phase of the project is expected to increase electricity production, enhance flood protection for the Kosinj field, improve the security of water supply for the southern branch of the Croatian coastal water system, and upgrade road and municipal infrastructure.
