Different views in the government about a major investment project
The Energy Investment Forum which is taking place in Zagreb will discuss energy projects in Croatia, such as the terminal for liquefied natural gas on the island of Krk, oil and gas exploration on land and in the Adriatic Sea, and the security of energy supply. Hiroshi Tachigami, head of the Japanese corporation Marubeni Europower which is supposed to build the Plomin C thermal power plant, has also come to the conference, report Večernji List and Jutarnji List on March 1, 2016.
“Why should we now be arguing whether we need Plomin or not. We certainly needed it for our energy source balance. Plomin should create the conditions for one large contingent of renewable energy to enter the energy sector of Croatia. On the other hand, HEP must understand that its key role is to make conditions that all these projects and facilities, primarily those which produce the electricity, can connect to the national network. If these two things are solved, then there will be no obstacles for us to begin very soon with the construction of the Plomin power plant”, said Minister of Entrepreneurship Darko Horvat.
“The state should provide conditions for investments. Plomin C power plant, exploration of gas and oil in the Adriatic Sea… The Croatian government has not given up on a single project. They are necessary for our energy security, but they will be approached in a different way. We should prepare a feasibility study. The ball is now with the experts who must not allow their opinion to be subordinated to politics. We need all these projects, but the methods and the dynamics of investments must be carefully selected”, said Horvat.
However, at the beginning of February, Minister of Environmental Protection Slaven Dobrović said that he expected Croatia would not pursue the construction of Plomin C. “Croatia needs a new energy strategy. The current strategy from 2009 envisions capacities depending on imported coal. It is very difficult or even impossible to fit that idea with the new energy policies of the European Union, so it would be completely logical and expected that the new energy strategy would abandon such plans”, said Dobrović at the time.
“We believe that it is necessary to urgently prepare a new energy strategy. So, given that now we have a new European energy policy with strict goals in terms of increasing renewable energy resources, energy efficiency and emission reductions, it is very hard to see where Plomin C type resource could fit in. However, the answers will be given by the energy strategy and I will not say anything definite now, but all the indications so far do not support expectations that the power plant could be built”, explained the Minister.
