Rijeka Refinery (photo: INA)
Croatian oil and gas company INA has signed contracts for the construction of a green hydrogen plant at its Rijeka Refinery and a biomethane production facility in Sisak.
The combined value of the two projects, which will strengthen the renewable energy project portfolio, is EUR 98 million, INA said and added that both facilities are expected to be completed in 2026.
The company’s owner MOL Group highlighted the green hydrogen project last week when it inaugurated a 10 MW green hydrogen plant in its refinery in Százhalombatta in Hungary.
The green hydrogen system, including a solar power plant and logistics, will be co-financed from Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). INA also plans to tap into the scheme to fund the Sisak Biomethane project.
A solar power plant within the refinery would partially power the green hydrogen facility
The electrolyzer in Rijeka is also planned at 10 MW. The photovoltaic unit would partially power the facility.
INA said it would become the first producer of commercial green hydrogen in Croatia and use it in transportation, adding that it signed the contract for the delivery of key equipment with Ivicom Consulting.
The facility in Sisak will make biomethane mostly from agricultural residues (straw, manure and slurry) and different types of biodegradable waste, the announcement reads.
The biomethane could be delivered to the Croatian gas network
The fuel could be delivered the Croatian natural gas network and the residue can be used as an environmentally friendly fertilizer, INA noted.
It signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Biogest, a biomethane and biogas plant manufacturer headquartered in Austria.
INA plans to allocate up to 20% of the 2025 investment budget to renewables
With its existing solar power plant and the planned biomethane facility, INA is demonstrating its commitment to turn the location in Sisak into a renewable energy hub, President of the Management Board of INA Zsuzsanna Ortutay said.
In her words, the company wants to contribute to clean energy production in Croatia by building the green hydrogen plant at the Rijeka Refinery.
INA said it is planning further sustainable investments including geothermal exploration and photovoltaics.
“Our plan is to direct up to 20% of the 2025 investment budget to renewable energy projects,” Ortutay stressed.
INA has started the works within the two geothermal energy exploration licenses that it received in Croatia with a goal to produce electricity.
The company is examining wind potential in the Northern Adriatic as well.
Be the first one to comment on this article.