At the ceremonial presentation for projects financed under the Programme “Energy and Climate Change”, within the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area for the period 2014-2021, which was held on 12 December 2022 at the premises of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency was granted an amount of EUR 200,000.00 for the project Creating a Deep Geothermal Energy Database.
In the presence of Mr Haakon Blankenborg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to the Republic of Croatia and Mr Dražen Jakšić, Director of the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar, the contracts were presented by Minister Nataša Tramišak.
“This decade will be focused on the use of renewable energy sources, and the Republic of Croatia has all the predispositions to be a leader at the level of the European Union, not only in terms of the use of solar energy, but also energy from the sea, a potential that Croatia has not used so far, as well as geothermal energy. I look forward to further cooperation on these projects, as well as the successful completion and realization of all contracts that we have presented to the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture of the University of Zagreb from this Programme”, emphasised Minister Tramišak.
On behalf of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, the contract was taken over by Mrs Martina Tuschl, Director of Geothermal Energy.
“This is a significant project for comprehensive understanding of the geothermal potential of the Republic of Croatia as an inexhaustible source of renewable energy, for the purpose of maximum utilization and creating stimulating development and investment opportunities in the process of green transition. The deep geothermal energy database represents the basis for the further development of the geothermal energy potential of the Republic of Croatia and a further step forward in the positioning of the Republic of Croatia as the leading country within the European Union, which has activated this valuable resource at a crucial moment of the burning need for new energy sources,” said Martina Tuschl from the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency after the ceremony.
Based on the adopted Financing Decisions, for two Calls for Low Value Project Proposals, 2 projects were approved in the total non-refundable amount of EUR 397,950.75.
The first referred to the Call for Proposals Database development of the deep geothermal energy, project leader the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, and the second to the Call for Proposals Database development of the shallow geothermal energy, project holder of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb.