The largest solar power plant in Croatia is planned to be built by the local company Suncane Elektrane Medjumurja, owned by Croatia’s sole manufacturer of solar panel Solvis. This solar power plant will have installed capacity of 50 MW.
The project, with estimated value of 40 million euros, will be developed in Rasinja near Koprivnica in northern Croatia. However, the project is still in its infancy as the investor needs to obtain all the necessary permits, but early estimates show that the construction of the plant could start in early 2022. Electricity produced by the plant should be sold directly to state-owned power utility HEP.
In June, HEP launched the construction of the largest solar power plant in Croatia – 6.5 MW plant on the island of Cres. At the end of 2019, Croatia was still below 50 MW in large-scale solar power plants, but there is interest from large investors for more than 600 MW.
Last month, Energy Minister Tomislav Coric said that, in the next 10 to 30 years, Croatia will strive for renewable energy. It will try to increase electricity generation from solar, geothermal, biogas, wind and hydro sources. The model on which this will be done will also change, the legislative framework enables a market premium model that is fairer than feed-in tariffs because producers will compete with each other, and on the other hand the state will ensure the security of their investments. He announced the launch of tenders related to small-scale biomass and biogas projects by the end of the year, and next year the Government will launch tenders for large-scale solar and wind projects. This is also an opportunity for large energy companies to enter Croatian market, but also an opportunity for state-owned HEP to continue along the RES path.
