On Friday, April 12, 2024, in Poznań, Poland, the international conference 'Unlocking Geothermal Potential in the EU' was held, in which Sanja Živković from EIHP also participated. This day-long event was organized by Professor Zdzisław Krasnodębski, Member of the European Parliament, in cooperation with the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC).
Živković spoke about the Croatian perspective and Croatia's experiences in geothermal projects. She pointed out that Croatia is currently witnessing a boom in geothermal energy research, which started in 2021 with the launch of the Energy and Climate Change Program. The Program is managed by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, while EIHP is a program partner that provides technical assistance, and the Program is financed through the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and with the support of a Norwegian grant. "With a total allocation of EUR 5 million for geothermal projects, this initiative has stimulated significant interest in geothermal development for heating needs within local communities. Before the start of the Programme, there were six exploration blocks and five exploitation fields. Now, there are ten exploitation fields, 25 exploration blocks, and four more exploration blocks in the bidding round; half of those are for electricity generation, and others are for heat production. Aside from these, there are six preliminary exploration blocks for district heating purposes where the license holder is the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency", Živković pointed out.
She emphasized that a significant milestone in geothermal energy, directly linked to the Energy and Climate Change Programme, was the recent completion of drilling a geothermal exploration well near the City of Bjelovar. "In the upcoming three years, over 25 new geothermal wells are anticipated to be drilled, with some reaching depths exceeding 5,000 meters," Živković emphasized.
