The €6.9 million Obrovac solar power plant is currently the biggest commercial plant of its kind in Croatia. It has been in operation since November 2022.
It was built on the premises of a former alumina factory on an area of 117,137 square metres.
The installed capacity of the solar power plant is 8.7 MW. It consists of 27,544 Solvis photovoltaic modules. With an expected annual output of around 11.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity, it will meet the needs of more than 3,500 households.
Today's ceremony "is an important transformative message of adaptation to the new time as well as Croatia's energy strategy and increased use of renewable energy sources," PM Plenković said at the opening of the plant.
He noted that the state-owned HEP power company had a very important role during the energy crisis, enabling the government to make decisions capping the prices of electricity for households and the business sector.
The government is aware that the power Croatia obtains from the Krško nuclear power plant is extremely useful and "completely clean in terms of greenhouse gas emissions," he said in reference to the power plant which Croatia co-owns with Slovenia.
The goal at EU level is to make additional effort to better connect systems, which is why it is important to invest in the power transmission grid, stations, and solar and wind power plants, he said.
HEP Management Board President Frane Barbarić presented plans for the construction of new renewable-energy power plants in Zadar County and the rest of the country with the total capacity of 1544 MW and worth €1.6 billion.
HEP plans to consolidate its transmission and distribution network in order to be able to receive power produced from an increasingly large number of renewable-energy sources, one of the biggest current investments being the Zadar East substation, which will enable better power supply to the Gaženica port, the eastern parts of Zadar and the Zadar archipelago.
HEP is working on 60 renewable power plant and battery energy storage system projects with the total power of more than 1500 MW, of which most are located in the coastal counties owing to the sun and wind potential, Barbarić said.
"The construction of new power plants will be accompanied by the consolidation and mobilisation of distribution networks in southern Croatia, the entire coastal region and its hinterland," he said.
After Obrovac, Plenković was expected to visit the Stankovci solar power plant.
In operation since March 2022, the solar power plant, built on an area of 65,217 square metres, is expected to produce 4.6 million kWh of electricity annually, which will be sufficient to meet the needs of 1,500 households.
The Stankovci solar power plant consists of 9,920 Solvis photovoltaic modules with the total installed power of 3.27 MW, and the investment cost €3.5 million.
In Bibinje, Plenković was due to visit the Zadar East substation.
PM Plenković was accompanied, among others, by Deputy PM Anja Šimpraga, Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Šime Erlić and Justice Minister Ivan Malenica.