HGK: ‘There is great interest in battery systems, but bureaucracy is holding back projects’

“Since Croatia still imports almost 60 percent of energy, it is important to continue increasing domestic production from renewable sources, along with the development of battery tanks. That way, energy is stored in the battery when it is not needed, instead of the power plant stopping work,” said Kelava, emphasizing that Croatia is among the top five countries in the EU in terms of the share of renewable energy sources.

According to her words, renewable energy sources meet 51.6 percent of the total demand, and their installed power is five gigawatts, of which 1.3 gigawatts refer to solar power plants and 1.27 gigawatts to wind power plants.

In Croatia, 25 to 30 megawatts from renewable sources are connected to the grid every month, she said.

Investors have a hard time getting permits

“It is necessary to amend the Law on the Electricity Market”, stressed Kelava, adding that investors have a hard time obtaining permits. She noted that 1,257 days have passed since HERA was supposed to bring a single fee for the connection of power plants.

She repeated several times that in Croatia there is huge interest from investors who would invest in projects related to battery storage.

Nina Domazet, an independent consultant in the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection and Communal Economy, emphasized that batteries are modular systems intended for storage within the power system, and that these systems return energy to the network when demand is higher.

“Such systems, among other things, stabilize the network, prevent overloads and power outages and enable cost optimization,” said Domazet.

According to the national energy and climate plan, the construction of 250 megawatt batteries by 2030 is foreseen, and it is expected that 25 percent of that plan will be reached this year.

On the other hand, Domazet said, in the EU only last year, new battery systems grew by 45 percent, and most of these capacities relate to large storage. Last year, a record 27.1 gigawatts of battery tanks were installed in EU countries.

She also complained that the cost of connecting and charging for batteries is currently not precisely defined.

Speaking about the key challenges with the use of batteries in Croatia, the deputy president of the Association of Renewable Energy Sources HGK Aljoša Pleić he said that the key obstacles are the undefined cost of connection, limited market models, undefined fees and too short terms of energy approvals without the possibility of extension.

It proposes, among other things, that HERA urgently adopt a single connection fee, that business models are not restricted and that fees for restrictions be defined.

He considers it important that all institutions that deal with that topic interpret the regulations in a coordinated manner.