RP Global to build solar power plant on Croatian island

Austria-based electricity producer RP Global is about to start building a solar power plant near the town of Novalja on the Croatian island of Pag, whose projected annual output is 25 GWh.

RP Global has already built two wind farms close to the Adriatic coast in Croatia – Danilo near Šibenik and Rudine near Dubrovnik – and this will be the company’s first solar project in the country, according to local media.

The project, worth EUR 10 million, should bring revenues of about EUR 33,000 a year to the Novalja municipality, according to a statement from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

RP Global plans more projects in Croatia

The investment is only a part of RP Global’s ambitious plans for this part of Croatia, said Bojan Reščec, the company’s country manager for Croatia.

Reščec also said it is difficult to speak about concrete figures at this point, but that the company hopes in the years to come there could be “three-digit megawatts and millions of euros of investment.”

Croatia’s solar power plants produced over 72 million kWh in 2019

Croatia’s photovoltaic power plants produced slightly over 72 million kWh of electricity in 2019, while overall production from renewable energy sources jumped 16.1% against the previous year. The share of photovoltaic plants in the total installed capacity in Croatia is 6%, local media reported, citing data from the Croatian Energy Market Operator (HROTE).

HROTE has recently announced an auction for the award of premiums and guaranteed purchase prices for electricity from renewable sources. The public call refers to solar power plants (50 MW), small hydropower plants (9 MW), as well as biogas (15 MW) and biomass (14 MW) power plants, making the total capacity 88 MW.

According to earlier reports, Novalja is one of seven new solar power plants planned in Croatia, with a combined installed capacity of 257 MW, on top of two new solar projects being developed by state power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP), totaling 95 MW.