Investment & modernizatio plan will provide around 120 megawatts of (MW) new capacity for state controlled power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda HEP.
Perica Jukić, Chairman of Board of the Croatian Electric Power Industry (HEP), announced that this company would invest more than 3.5 billion kunas (465MEUR) in the project of reconstruction and revitalization of hydro power plants in Croatia by 2020.
Jukić said this in Župa Dubrovačka at the celebration of the 50 years of operation of the hydro power plant (HPP) Dubrovnik, the first reconstructed hydro power plant within the comprehensive multiannual program of reconstruction and revitalization of HEP’s hydro power plants. This program, with the total worth of 3.6 billion kunas, will provide around 120 megawatts of (MW) new capacity.
This classifies HEP among the leading European countries when it comes to electricity generation from renewable resources, said Jukić.
In January 2016, the revitalization project worth 320 million kunas was concluded in HPP Dubrovnik, whereby its capacity was increased by 36 MW, to the total of 252 MW. In HEP, they say that this opens the possibility of additionally producing almost 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of certified green energy annually.
Considering that the reservoir of HPP Dubrovnik is located within the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one aggregate of HPP Dubrovnik generates electricity for the electric power system of BiH i.e. the Republic of Srpska. Thus, within its 50 years of operation, the HPP Dubrovnik has generated almost 60 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), of which around 30 billion kWh have been delivered into the Croatian electric power system, which is twice more than the total annual consumption of entire Croatia.
“This is distribution, the Republic of Srpska has the slope and water, whereas we have aggregates and it is normal that one aggregate should generate electricity for the Republic of Srpska”, Jukić said, answering to a reporter who asked how came that one aggregate of HPP Dubrovnik was working for the Republic of Croatia, whereas the other one was working for the Republic of Srpska.
HEP’s leaders also visited the newly built transformer substation (TS) Srđ, the total worth of which amounts to 136 million kunas. The TS Srđ has been in trial operation since the beginning of year, and together with the TS Plat which is worth 350 million kunas, it represents a part of the Dubrovnik Program, by which the HEP group ensures a long-term security of electricity supply for the southernmost Croatia.
“With the transformer substations Srđ and Plat, together with Komolac, this circle of electricity supply for the town of Dubrovnik has been closed”, said Jukić, adding that the town and its surroundings were now secure in terms of electricity supply.
“We are connected to the TS Plat, the TS Srđ is here, and finally, we have the link to the TS Komolac. A twofold ring around the town has been provided. We are still finishing certain modernizations and works on solutions in the town itself”, said Jukić.
The Director of HEP-Distribution System Operator (HEP-ODS), Željko Šimek, has pointed out that, contrary to speculations, the TS Srđ was not built because of the golf project on Srđ.
“The TS Srđ has not been made because of golf or anything else but the town of Dubrovnik. In the next few years, a large consumption is expected within the area of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik coast. New hotels are also built towards Cavtat. All this requires investments in the grid, and we have anticipated all this and built this transformer substation”, said Šimek, transmits Serbia-energy.eu
