Major solar power concession in Tomislavgrad in BiH is up for bids

The Government of Canton 10 initiated a public bidding process for awarding a concession for the Seline solar power project, with a nameplate capacity of 100 MW. Local firm Insolar is already developing it.

The areas around Kupres, Tomislavgrad and Livno, municipality seats in the southwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are suitable for the construction of wind power plants due to a significant wind energy potential, but there are more and more photovoltaic projects as well. The Government of Canton 10 declared public interest in the construction of a solar power plant on the Seline site in the municipality of Tomislavgrad.

It also decided to initiate the process of awarding a concession for the project. The envisaged installed capacity is 100 MW. The bidding can take place after a public call is issued.

In February, a firm called Insolar from Tomislavgrad received the preliminary approval for the connection to the grid, according to an August report from state-owned electricity transmission company Elektroprijenos-Elektroprenos BiH. The document shows the facility is expected to be connected next year, but the potential investor has three more steps ahead until it can get a final green light.

The business was founded by Janko Šupih Kvaternik and Krešimir Supek, holding 50% each.

Tomislavgrad is aspiring to be main destination for renewable energy investments

The territory of Tomislavgrad hosts the first two wind parks in BiH and another one is under construction. The company MET Consulting from nearby Široki Brijeg recently received the energy approval for its Zvizdan photovoltaic project in the same area. It is planned with a peak capacity of 28.5 MW and 46.7 GWh in annual output.

Electricity transmission company Elektroprijenos-Elektroprenos BiH issued the first of four approvals for the FNE Seline project

Additionally, the Municipality of Tomislavgrad defined the location for the Orlovac solar power project with a peak of 102.5 MW and a 92.5 MW connection. Earth Finance from Bihać has been developing the paperwork for the investment near the village of Eminovo Selo.

Canton 10 is locally referred to as the Herzeg-Bosnia County despite the fact that the name was declared unconstitutional two and a half decades ago. It also goes by as the Livno canton.

The Federation of BiH, one of the two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, consists of ten cantons. The other entity is called the Republic of Srpska.

Herzegovina is at forefront with solar power projects but implementation is weak

The testing phase started in September in Grude for the country’s first large solar power plant. The Petnjik system, also located in the Herzegovina region, has a peak capacity of 45 MW.

Deling Invest from Tuzla, a city in the northern geographical region of Bosnia, began preparatory works in early August for a solar power plant of 36.9 MW in peak.

Within its decarbonization plan, state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH) is planning to build a solar power system of 56 MW. The location is on an old slag and ash dump of its coal-fired Tuzla power plant.

The International Renewable Energy Agency has found that BiH had 107 MW installed in the solar power segment at the end of 2022, which is two times more than one year earlier. The large projects are mostly being developed in and near Herzegovina, even up to 500 MW, they are for the most part in the early stages.