Drilling of well Koronevo GT-1 started in November and was completed according to schedule. The EUR 3.5-million drilling contract was awarded to Crosco. The geothermal heating plant in Bjelovar is envisioned to be the first geothermal district heating project in Croatia
The current initiative to develop geothermal district heating was first reported in early 2022. An update was provided by the end of 2022, indicating that feasibility studies were underway for the planned district heating project.
Investments are expected
The well is located in the middle of a new business zone next to an expressway that is currently being built. About 6 MW of thermal energy is expected from the well, which will be enough to supply “heat to seven hectares of greenhouses or more than 400 apartments,” as described by Mladen, Skrlec, Manager of the execution of oil and mining works.
Bjelavor Mayor Dario Hrebak, emphasized that the positive drilling outcome is expected to draw new investments into the region. “The expressway is being built, which enters the heart of this 83-hectare zone where this well is located and where land is at affordable prices. This is the city with the lowest taxes in the country, therefore, with the lowest utility costs in the country . I believe that this can really be an oasis, and I expect a tsunami of investments here in the city of Bjelovar.”
“The Bjelovar-Bilogoroa region used to be very important for agriculture. Unfortunately, this industry has declined in the last. I expect a bunch of greenhouses here and a lot of those who want to produce competitive products under favorable conditions and sell them on the market,” added the Mayor.
The Mayor also said that five more boreholes are being planned. “As of tomorrow, we are already planning to get a permit for exploitation in the next eight to ten months, so we can already start concrete production. We are not interested in stories, we are here deliver immediately what can be done.”
More geothermal utilization in Bjelovar
The Croatian Agency for Hydrocarbons estimates that half of the city of Bjelovar can be heated with geothermal. “The temperature gradient in this part of Croatia is very large compared to comparable countries in the European Union, so the potential is great,” commented Drazen Jaksic, Director of the Energy Institute.
Bjelovar was included in the list of sites for tender for geothermal development in a recent announcement by the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency.
Experts point out that there has to be an increase in investment for Croatia to reach the same level of geothermal utilization as neighboring countries, like Hungary. “In the next 10 years, I expect investments in Croatia to be around 400 million euros, ” said Darko Tipurci of the Croatian Society of Economists.
