Croatia’s HEP Mulls 95 MW Solar PV Capacity

• HEP is considering development of 2 solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 95 MW in Croatia, according to  Balkan Green Energy News
• It has submitted an application for approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy
• While the 60 MW Obrovac Sinjski project is planned for the city of Sinj, the 35 MW Konačnik plant will be located in the city of Trilj

Croatia Hrvatska Elektropriverda (HEP), a state owned electric utility of Croatia, is seeking approval from the country's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy (MZOE) to build 2 solar power plants with 95 MW cumulative capacity. The two projects, according to Balkan Green Energy News, may have individual capacities of 60 MW and 35 MW.

As per the news article, the 60 MW Obrovac Sinjski Solar Power Plant is proposed to come up in the city of Sinj's Obrovac Sinjski settlement. It is expected to produce approximately 87 GWh of clean power annually. The 35 MW Konačnik Solar Power Plant would be located on 72-hectare of land in the city of Trilj's Ugljane settlement. On completion, HEP anticipates it to produce 50 GWh annually.

The ministry is expected to take a final call on HEP's proposal after taking into account consultation with other stakeholders.

Currently, HEP has 270 kW of rooftop solar power capacity operational in the form of 13 plants on its own buildings; it also operates the 1 MW Kaštelir utility scale solar project.

HEP plans to invest HRK 750 million to develop 350 MW of solar power plant capacity by 2030. In April 2019, it announced 4 solar power plants – Kaštelir, Cres, Vis and Vrlika Jug – with a cumulative capacity of 11.6 MW as the first PV projects of the big solar investment cycle planned until 2030.

In February 2019, HEP issued an expression of interest for partners to construct or purchase completed renewable energy facilities (see HEP Seeking Partners For RE Facilities).

In June 2018, HEP announced completion of the 6.5 MW Orlec Trinket solar project on the island of Cres as the 'first non-integrated solar power plant' in its portfolio and also the biggest solar plant in Croatia, and said it started development of the 4.14 MW Orlec Trinket West Solar Power Plant also on Cres island.