Croatia-based power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) plans to construct a 160 MW pumped storage hydropower plant called Vinodol near the country’s coast.
HEP currently operates two pumped storage hydropower plants. Velebit features a generating capacity of 276 MW, while Lepenica has a capacity of under 1 MW. The utility also operates a pumping hydropower facility of 4.5 MW in capacity.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition said that HEP has submitted an application to conduct a procedure for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study regarding the Vinodol pumped storage HPP project.
Energy storage is a solution for variable renewables integration
The facility would be built in the Vinodol municipality, on the mainland across the way from the island of Krk, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county in western Croatia.
As the share of variable renewable generation expands, energy storage needs are growing. Pumped storage HPPs offer a proven mechanism for energy storage
HEP said that the existing Tribalj reservoir will serve as the lower reservoir, located at an elevation of about 60 meters, in the Vinodol valley. The upper reservoir, Razromir, is to be created in the Koreni valley on the slopes of Mount Medvedak, at an altitude of about 800 meters, the update reads.
The lower reservoir already exists, while the upper one will be constructed
The concept is based on moving around one million cubic meters of water from the lower to the upper basin in pumping mode using green electricity. The elevation difference allows covering peak power demand in turbine generation mode.
The plant would be able to pump for 10–10.5 hours, and generate for 7.5–8 hours, and the installed capacity would roughly amount to 160 MW, HEP explained.
The facility is set to be connected to the grid via an existing 110 kV transmission line.
According to the ministry, the public will have the opportunity to participate in the mandatory consultation regarding the EIA study, produced by Zagreb-based Elektroprojekt. The review process must span at least 60 days, with exact dates to be announced later.
