May 10 (SeeNews) - Croatia’s offshore wind potential is seen at up to 25 GW, a new report funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) showed on Wednesday.
“The identified potential of up to 25 GW of offshore wind capacity in low-impact areas alone could turn Croatia into a major European player in the renewable energy sector over the next decade,” Victoria Zinchuk, EBRD Director for Central Europe, said in a press release.
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At present, the total installed bottom-fixed offshore wind capacity in Europe is 30 GW.
The report, entitled Action Plan for the Uptake of Offshore Renewable Energy Sources in Croatia, was written by Croatian experts. At its launch in Zagreb, local and international experts discussed the steps necessary to unlock this potential, including an enabling regulatory framework.
"While energy prices currently allow for a market-based approach – meaning that renewable electricity is competitively merchant priced and state subsidies are not needed at current price levels – investment is being hampered by lengthy permitting processes at both the local and national level,” according to the report. There is currently little solar photovoltaic capacity installed in the country, but a sizeable pipeline exists over the next decade.
The study identified more than 29,000 square kilometres of offshore area available for renewables, including offshore wind, both bottom-fixed and floating, and floating photovoltaic power plants, the EBRD said. This includes several low-impact areas in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, where up to 25 GW offshore wind capacity could be installed. It also identifies additional medium-impact areas with significant potential of up to 32 GW.
“Croatia should tap into this potential as soon as possible to increase European energy security in the medium to long term,” Zinchuk added.
The Adriatic country, which relies on fossil fuel imports to meet about half of its energy needs, aims to increase domestic electricity generation from renewable sources. According to 2021 data, the total wind and solar energy installed capacity in Croatia is 1.2 GW, as the total renewable capacity rises to 4.9 GW if hydropower and other sources are included.
“In the future, the shipbuilding industry could be linked to the development of offshore renewables, because Croatian shipyards have production capacities that can support the construction and installation of wind turbines at sea,” Maja Pokrovac, CEO of the Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (RES Croatia) Association which coordinated the report, said in the press release.
($ = 0.909 euro)