Croatian power utility Hrvatska elektroprivreda invited interested parties to express interest in the joint expansion of renewables. HEP Group already agreed with 11 municipalities and cities to prepare documentation for solar power plants with total capacity of 120 MW and it is taking over another 60 MW in private projects under development.

After the success that was achieved at last year’s tender, Hrvatska elektroprivreda opened another public call for local authorities, legal persons and individuals to apply for the development of renewables. HEP Group said it would prepare documentation for solar power plants together with municipalities and cities and that it intends to buy private green energy projects.

The deadline is December 31. The state-owned and dominant company in Croatia in power production added it wants to acquire solar projects of at least 2 MW as well as wind farms and hydropower plants in development or in operation with a minimum capacity of 1 MW.

HEP preparing solar power plants of an overall 240 MW in green energy push

As of April, HEP signed agreements with 11 local governments on the development of projects for photovoltaic plants of 120 MW in total. It also struck deals to acquire future solar power plants of 60 MW from private entities. The firm revealed it is independently developing solar power plants of another 60 MW overall.

Municipalities and cities have the opportunity to engage more on the development of sustainable energy infrastructure in their areas and contribute to their own development, said Frane Barbarić, President of the Management Board of Hrvatska elektroprivreda. “Our plan by 2030 is to have new 1,500 megawatts in generation capacities, 350 megawatts of which in windfarms, and the same amount in solar power plants,” he stated.

Barbarić: HEP will install 1.5 GW by 2030

In his words, HEP Group has a record investment plan for this year, at EUR 650 million, and that it earmarked EUR 1.92 billion for the period from 2021 to 2024.

Cooperation until location or construction permits

Some of the aforementioned municipal authorities are preparing project documentation until a location permit is obtained – the municipalities of Kršan, Lipovljani, Sućuraj and Viljevo and the City of Mali Lošinj. Cities Lipik, Novska, Križevci and Ludbreg and municipalities Bedekovčina and Marijanci are responsible, as agreed, to work on it until the construction permit is issued.

In HEP Group’s plan for solar energy from 2019 through 2023, investments are seen at EUR 99.3 million, according to the announcement. In the past three years it received EUR 132.5 million from European Union funds.