Croatia’s distribution system operator HEP-ODS plans to invest EUR 2 billion over the next decade.
The Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA) has launched a public consultation on the updated ten-year distribution network development plan prepared by HEP-ODS.
HEP ODS’s ten-year (2027–2036) distribution network development plan, which includes detailed breakdowns for the initial three-year and one-year periods, is similar in investment volume to the 2026–2035 plan. Ten-year plans are updated annually.
Investments of EUR 600 million are earmarked for 2027–2029
Total planned investments for the 2027–2036 period stand at EUR 1.95 billion, excluding investments for fulfilling connection conditions and grid connections. Investments of EUR 600.3 million are earmarked for 2027–2029, with the remainder planned for the 2030–2036 period.
For the initial three-year period (2027–2029), the planned investments are as follows:
- 2027: EUR 185.8 million
- 2028: EUR 204.5 million
- 2029: EUR 210 million.
The initial three-year period will be marked by investments in power facilities, including 10 (20) kV voltage infrastructure; investments co-financed from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP); connection fee-funded investments; and investments in metering devices and infrastructure, the plan reads.
Investments funded from connection fees in the upcoming three-year period are increasingly focused on renewable energy sources, while transport electrification and the buildout of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will exert a growing influence in subsequent periods.
Over the next ten-year period, alongside substantial investments in metering devices and infrastructure, the focus will be on the medium-voltage and low-voltage grid, HEP ODS stressed.
The public consultation runs from October 6 to 26.
Croatian power grid operators holding back prosumer development
According to the policy paper prepared by the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency, electricity system operators – primarily distribution system operator HEP-ODS – aren’t ready to support households and companies in their efforts to produce energy for self-consumption in Croatia.
The pace of installing advanced meters for residential consumers, along with the infrastructure for remote reading of their consumption, is still insufficient, the document reads.
