EPHZHB breaks ground for 66 MW Vrilo pumped-storage hydropower plant

Public power utility Elektroprivreda Hrvatske Zajednice Herceg Bosne (EPHZHB) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Vrilo pumped-storage hydropower plant on the Šuica sinking river near Tomislavgrad on July 16 .

The Vrilo pumped-storage hydropower plant, to be built in an investment worth EUR 89.1 million, is designed to have two units with a total installed capacity of 66 MW, with operations planned to begin in 2023. The plant’s annual electricity output is projected at 196 GWh, according to an announcement on the company’s website.

EPHZHB is majority owned by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and is one of the Bosnian entity’s two power utilities. The entity of Republika Srpska also has a power utility.

Mostar-based EPHZHB reported a profit of BAM 237,441 (about EUR 120,000) in 2017, which it used for covering losses from previous years. It produced 1,287 GWh of electricity last year, down 18.26% compared to the planned level due to drought.

The company produces electricity solely from renewable energy sources, with most of its capacities consisting of hydropower plants.

Earlier this year, EHZHB unveiled Mesihovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first wind farm.