The plant is being built with the help of a Turkish investor.
Geothermal energy is the future of energy, especially when it comes to renewable sources, says Dragan Jurilj, the owner of Geothermal company. Together with his Turkish partner Muharrem Balet, the owner of MB Holding and Mega energy group, Jurilj is investing into the first Croatian geothermal plant in Velika Ciglena near Bjelovar. The plant will be put into trial operation next year in May. Meanwhile, the Croatian and Turkish partners are also launching exploration activities in the area of several potential hot water springs in the north-western part of Croatia, reports Večernji List on May 21, 2016.
“The superiority of geothermal energy compared to other sources of energy, such as fossil fuel, nuclear and renewable sources, is immeasurable. Most of the renewable energy sources can function only with big incentives and when they are discontinued some of them are no longer viable. Moreover, big wind turbines are working only when there is wind, and solar plants only when there is sun. Geothermal plants work 24 hours a day. The biggest issue with geothermal technology is uncertainty of exploration, and the banks do not want to issue loans for it because of the risks. However, after the exploration and after the two years of test runs, the plant can remain in function 200 to 500 years and bring profits”, said Jurilj.
He added that exploration activities cover about 50 percent of the total value of a geothermal plant. Because one plant needs four springs and each one costs about 30 million kuna, this represents both a huge sum and a great risk. Jurilj’s plant near Bjelovar will have the net capacity of 10 megawatts. Geothermal is currently working on four fields in north-western Croatia, and the works have been done by the domestic company Crosco. Jurilj estimates that about 60 percent of geothermal energy equipment can be produced in Croatia, and companies such as Crosco can conduct exploration activities.
Meanwhile, Balet has been working with geothermal energy for 40 years and has five plants in Turkey, while Croatia is his first foreign project. He made a decision to do a project in Croatia because of the similarity of geological features.
