May the 7th, 2026 – Croatia is now seeking to strengthen its position on the global energy map, having already come on leaps and bounds in the European sense.
As Katarina Kusec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Zagreb’s Jankomir will be the future site of the expanded Končar – Power Transformers (KPT) factory. This is a strategic project of Siemens Energy and Končar, worth around 260 million euros in total. Despite it being a joint project between the two companies, the primary goal remains the same – to further strengthen the position of the factory by increasing its production capacity. The timing of this investment is excellent, as it comes at a time when the world is in real demand for equipment in the field of electricity transmission and distribution. In addition to that, this project represents an important step forward for Croatian industry as a whole in a period dominated by intense energy transitions and woes.
croatian infrastructure development
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasised that this industrial venture is extremely important for the Croatian economy as a whole.
“A total of 800 million euros is currently being invested in a sector directly related to one of the key global topics – energy, power engineering and the development of energy networks,” he said, adding that this represents an important and concrete step forward for Croatia and its desire to strengthen its position on the global energy map.
“This is a strategic step forward that confirms Croatia’s clear development direction, which is investing in knowledge, production and partnerships with global leaders, with a strong focus on digitalisation, automation and research and development. The message is a clear one – without energy there can be no economy, and without strong industry there’s no real economic progress,” the Prime Minister stated. KPT CEO Boris Potočki emphasised that this massive investment represents a step forward that goes beyond merely increasing capacities and is also about strengthening long-term competitiveness on the demanding global market.
“In the coming years, we’ll further improve Croatian technology, optimise all processes and develop the competencies of our employees in order to respond to the increasingly complex demands of the energy transition,” he said. According to him, the main goal is to remain a reliable partner in the development of a modern, sustainable and secure electricity infrastructure. Building on the investment cycle that began back in 2022, this current expansion represents the next phase of a long-term growth strategy. Siemens Energy Board Member Tim Holt believes that the continued expansion of production capacities “strengthens the resilience of the supply chain and reliably supports customers in the implementation of key electricity infrastructure.”
Končar Management Board President Gordan Kolak noted that this method of work, expansion and investment develops projects that have a truly global reach and “confirms that the synergy of international experience and Croatian industrial expertise can create long-term value in further positioning Croatia on the global energy map, particularly when it comes to the energy transition itself.”
Highly qualified specialists
In any case, a lot of money has been invested in this operation, and it will result in 350 new jobs, of which 250 in production and 100 for highly qualified specialists. All this is the result of working together for many years. Končar – Energy transformers is the first joint venture between Siemens Energy and Končar, which started its work back in 1995. It now represents one of the best factories of large power transformers in the entire world. In KPT, Siemens Energy has a 51% ownership share, while Končar holds 49%.
