UK Hive Energy secures land for three solar plants in Croatia

The projects, with capacities of 6 MW, 50 MW, and 9.99 MW, are located in Sisak-Moslavina and Bjelovar-Bilogora county in the continental part of the country, the company said in a press release last week.

Two of the sites are expected to have all permits in place by the end of 2024, while the third requires a spatial plan insertion.

The 6 MW project is an agri-photovoltaic site. “It will give us a deeper understanding of the Agri-PV process since this site will be one of the first of its kind in Croatia,” the company added.

Besides these projects, the company said it is working to secure additional sites that will bolster our Croatian pipeline. It is also in the final phase of preparing for the Energy Approval process, with additional sites located on state-owned land.

Overall, the company said it has 13 solar projects in different stages of development in Croatia.

Croatia is already running on around one-third renewable sources, primarily from extensive hydropower plants. The country is aiming to increase that share and cut emissions by around 45% by 2030.

"While the country is improving on its renewable energy sources, wind and solar are still on the back foot," Hive Energy said adding that around 11% of Croatia’s fuel was from wind sources in 2021 and less than 2% originated from solar, leaving a large gap in the market for PV development.

Croatia’s solar capacity grew almost 50% from 224 MW to 305 MW in the first six months of 2023.