A recent feasibility study for the Lunjkovec – Kutnjak exploration area in the North of Croatia confirmed the great potential for the use of geothermal energy, and the feasibility of the development of a geothermal plant project that could make the Varazdin County energy independent and stimulate economic development.
In Varazdin County, with the municipality of Mali Bukovec, the company Bukotermal was founded, primarily to use geothermal heat to generate electricity and then to use heat for households and businesses, for example for the production of flowers and vegetables in greenhouses. In the region, there is one geothermal well with water temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius.
Bukotermal plans the development of a 1.5 to 2 MW plant in the first phase with a planned start of operation in 2025. A second phase could then see the setup of a 10 MW plant.
“Croatia has extraordinary conditions to make great use of its geothermal potential as one of the forms of energy in the so-called energy mix, the use of multiple forms of energy for sustainable and responsible development. The Pannonian Basin in Croatia has a geothermal gradient as much as 60% higher than the European average. Geothermal power plants can operate with a capacity factor of up to 95%, while the wind capacity factor is approximately 40%, and energy from photovoltaic power plants about 15%", says Vladislav Brkic, Dean of the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum in Zagreb and president of the recently established Croatian Geothermal Energy Association (HUGE).
Read the complete article at www.thinkgeoenergy.com.