SINCRO.GRID project is the result of cooperation between Croatian and Slovenian transmission and distribution system operators. The works on the construction of static VAR compensator (SVC) facility at the Konjsko substation has started, marking the continuation of the project.
The project is co-financed from the European Fund for Strategic Infrastructure Projects in the amount of 40.5 million euros, while its total value is almost 90 million euros, and investments in Croatia amount to around 26 million euros.
The SINCRO.GRID project will use advanced technical systems and algorithms to manage flows in electricity systems with the aim of improving voltage quality and increasing the transmission power of existing lines. This will provide substation Konjsko, the largest transmission network facility in Dalmatia, with a state-of-the-art static compensation facility, the first of its kind in the region. Completion is expected by the end of November 2021.
Other parts of the SINCRO.GRID project in Croatia are the SVC facility at Mraclin substation, which was put into operation in January, the SVC facility at Melina substation near Rijeka, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, and the project of a joint virtual control center, which will represent a unique innovative solution in coordinated voltage regulation in Croatia and Slovenia. The main mission of the control center will be to integrate the three SVC devices in both countries into harmonious operation.
In May 2017, Croatian and Slovenian electricity transmission system operators HOPS and ELES, as well as electricity distribution system operators HEP-ODS and SODO signed in Brussels an agreement on the first phase of SINCRO.GRID project, thus obtaining 40 million euros of EU funding for the project.