Croatia inaugurates its first geothermal power plant

Croatia has inaugurated its first geothermal power plant near the town of Bjelovar, around 85 km (53 miles) to the east of the capital Zagreb. The 16.5 MW Velika 1 was officially opened on November 26 after an investment of 325 million kuna (€43.7 million) according to the Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy.

The contract to build the Velika 1 geothermal power plant was awarded to Turkey's MB Holding in 2015. The facility has been operational since March and since then has generated over 55 GWh of electricity. 

“If well designed and properly maintained, geothermal power plants can produce electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is electricity production which does not emit carbon into the environment,” the board chairman of MB Holding, Muharrem Balat said.

The Velika 1 power plant has opened 10 jobs upon commissioning. A total of 15 Croatian companies took part in its construction that took two years to complete.

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