Croatia adopts auctions to drive renewable growth in power mix
The Croatian government has introduced a provision to
assign 2.26 GW of renewable energy capacity under an auction scheme, which
includes hydropower, wind, solar PV, biopower and geothermal energy. GlobalData
predicts that auctions such as these will help develop the Croatian renewable
sector and support the country toward its target of producing 36.4% of its
electricity generation from renewables by 2030.
“GlobalData estimates that generation from renewables
(including small hydro) contributed around 20% of Croatia’s overall power
generation in 2019,” said Somik Das, senior power analyst at GlobalData. “Wind
has been the key technology in the segment, forming 12.7% of generation.
However solar, which formed a negligible share last year, is on the rise and is
anticipated to be the fastest-developing segment over the decade.
“With these auctions, it is anticipated that the solar
PV project pipeline will see substantial increase from the current 109MW of
small solar PV projects in the pipeline in various stages of development.”
The auction comes as a portion of the decree adopted
on quotas to incentivize the generation of electricity from renewable energy
sources and high-efficiency cogeneration. The key objectives of the strategy
are guaranteeing sustainable energy generation in Croatia over the following 10
years, with projections until 2050.
“As renewables become more competitive and achieve
grid parity across the globe, Croatia will not want to be left behind in the
renewables race,” Das said. “The bigger picture encompasses the sustainable
environment, where, until 2050, the strategy will aid the nation in
accomplishing its objective of cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions by
36%.”
The first auction saw Croatian electricity and gas regulator Hrvatski Operator Tržišta Energije (HROTE) announce a tender for 88 MW of renewables capacity. The authority apportions 50 MW of solar capacity, 15 MW of biogas, 14 MW of biomass, and 9 MW of hydropower, according to GlobalData.
