Croatia’s electricity system remains operational despite prolonged drought and unusually low river levels, but the country’s balance is increasingly reliant on imported electricity during periods of high summer consumption.
State-owned utility Hrvatska elektroprivreda, or HEP, said reservoir levels at its hydropower plants remained close to seasonal averages. The stored water provides enough flexibility to support generation, although deteriorating river conditions are affecting hydropower availability across Southeast Europe.
HEP is covering demand through a combination of domestic generation and imports. The company is paying particular attention to heatwave periods, when cooling demand rises at the same time that hydro production and river-cooled thermal generation may face restrictions.
The scale of Croatia’s import requirement was visible in the regional balance for 4 August. Forecast consumption stood at 2,589 MW, while domestic generation was estimated at 1,391 MW, leaving average net imports of approximately 1,197 MW. Imports therefore covered more than 46 per cent of demand.
The largest scheduled supplies came from Slovenia and Hungary. Croatia imported approximately 672 MW from Slovenia and 424 MW from Hungary, supplemented by smaller volumes from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
This import structure supported physical security but exposed Croatia to the evening scarcity premium emerging in Central and Southeast Europe. CROPEX cleared at €191.92/MWh, while the maximum hourly price reached €478.80/MWh as solar generation declined and regional systems competed for flexible capacity.
HEP warned that further deterioration in regional hydrology could reduce generation in neighbouring countries and increase competition for imports. Romania’s nuclear difficulties, weak Serbian hydro output and tighter Hungarian availability demonstrate that the risk is not confined to hydroelectric production alone.
Croatia’s reservoirs provide short-term operational flexibility, but they cannot fully insulate the system from regional market conditions. The drought is turning interconnection availability, reservoir dispatch strategy and evening procurement into the main determinants of supply cost.
