Dispatch from Croatia | April 鈥�25
***Our weekly Dispatches provide an overview of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments for the shift to climate neutrality in selected European countries, from policy and diplomacy to society and industry. For a bird's-eye view of the country's climate-friendly transition, read the respective 'Guide to'.***
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
颁谤辞补迟颈补鈥檚 Janaf secures new permit for NIS oil transit -聽Crude oil transport company聽received a聽聽at the end of March to聽. The move effectively postpones US sanctions against Serbian refinery NIS, which is majority-owned by Russia鈥檚 Gazprom, for the second time. Janaf and NIS have a contract for oil transport valid until the end of 2026. A few days before Janaf was granted the new one-month permit, economy minister聽, stating that there are no regulatory obstacles to such a move. The Janaf-NIS deal could go ahead in the coming weeks, highlighting how many fossil fuel projects receive significant political attention, while renewable development is often neglected.
Updates to Renewable Energy Framework -聽From 28 February to 14 March, a聽, under the jurisdiction of the聽. The new law raises the national 2030 target for the use of聽聽and introduces a new system for self-supply of electricity and charges for active consumers, along with聽. The law also aims to simplify administrative procedures, introduce clearer rules for green subsidies and biomass, and develop infrastructure for energy storage and the integration of renewable energy sources into the power system. The draft sets out the procedure for registering renewable energy communities, including the establishment and maintenance of a registry, which must be carried out by聽Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA)聽within six months.
Croatia and Italy mull subsea electricity link across Adriatic Sea -聽聽are strategic聽, economy minister Ante 艩u拧njar told the conference聽聽in March. He said that a working group had already been established to analyse options such as extending the lifespan of the Kr拧ko nuclear power plant,聽聽艩u拧njar placed particular emphasis on the聽, announcing that the two countries are considering the possibility of laying an undersea power cable linking Dalmatia with the Italian coast. He noted that聽聽already exist.
The latest from Croatia - last month in recap
Government measures keep energy prices stable -聽罢丑别听聽to help citizens and the economy deal with rampant inflationat the end of March, allocating almost 300 million euros for various measures. Steps related to energy prices alone are worth 140 million euros, and will remain in force until the end of September.聽聽that prices for electricity, gas and thermal energy for households, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as public institutions, will remain unchanged thanks to the subsidies.
颁谤辞补迟颈补鈥檚 geothermal energy potential -聽The potential of geothermal energy was discussed in March at the聽聽conference. On that occasion,聽聽that 鈥淐roatia has the opportunity to harness its geothermal potential to become a key player in the regional energy system鈥�. According to the聽, there are currently聽聽for geothermal waters in Croatia, with ongoing research and drilling at several locations.
Croatia still lags in solar energy use, grid projects face delays -聽Despite its significant solar power potential, Croatia still imports 25 percent of its electricity during the summer months and ranks at the bottom of the EU in terms of solar energy use, renewables association聽聽told the聽聽conference in March. The group鈥檚 director Maja Pokrovac said聽聽for a decision from the聽聽regarding connection costs to the grid must be unblocked. Lahorko Wagmann, Director of the Energy Sector at HERA, said he聽聽in the coming weeks. He said one of the main obstacles stopping Croatia from realising its solar potential was the lengthy process of building and modernizing the grid, noting that around 60 percent of the country鈥檚 transmission capacity is outdated.
Katarina's picks - reading recommendations & events
Report on gender gap in 颁谤辞补迟颈补鈥檚 energy sector.聽As part of the EUWES project 鈥� Empowering Underrepresented Women in the Energy Sector 鈥� a document titled聽聽聽was published. The document is the result of research conducted between December 2023 and January 2024. The mapping highlighted a significant underrepresentation of women compared to men in energy sector jobs in Croatia, regardless of whether they are in the public or private sector. As a result, the EUWES project has also developed聽聽to address this issue. These include introducing career development programs for women in the energy sector, promoting equal opportunities for girls and women in STEM fields, and establishing a system for monitoring and reporting on gender representation, pay, and career advancement in both the public and private sectors.
Registration open for Croatia's 2025 鈥淩enewable Energy Days Conference鈥� 聽for the conference dedicated to renewable energy in Croatia, , which will take place from 21 to 23 May in Split. The conference will bring together key stakeholders from the renewable energy sector, identify the main challenges and regulatory and administrative obstacles, and offer concrete solutions, according to the organiser, renewables association聽.
