Croatia's HEP starts testing new thermal unit

Block L, worth 140 million euro ($153 million), at the Zagreb power plant EL-TO Zagreb will use natural gas to produce both electricity and heat more efficiently.

The first gas turbines of the unit, which has an electrical capacity of 150 MWe and thermal capacity of 114 MWt, were ignited on Thursday. The unit exclusively uses natural gas and will replace some of the aging units at EL-TO Zagreb.

The block is expected to achieve a reduction of around 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually and provide thermal energy to 80,000 residents in the western areas of Zagreb.

The expected average annual production of Block L is 675 GWh of electricity, 450 GWh of thermal energy for the central heating system of Zagreb, and 160 GWh of industrial steam.

The unit has been built by Italian company Fata, part of Danielli Group. Croatian engineering companies including Elektroprojekt and Inzenjering za Naftu I Plin acted as contractors.

The majority of the project is financed through loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a syndicate of commercial banks, as well as the European Investment Bank (EIB), with the guarantee of the European Fund for Strategic Investments.

The block, which uses combined co-generation technology produced by Siemens, is expected to achieve more than a 25% savings in primary natural gas energy.

($ = 0.916 euro)