Following the successful development of its first geothermal plant, Turkish MB Geothermal has now announced plans to develop an additional 100 MW in geothermal power generation capacity in the North of Croatia.
Turkish MB Holding has announced plans of up 100 MW of geothermal power development in the North of Croatia.
The company officially inaugurated its Velika Ciglena geothermal power plant three weeks ago. According to MB Holding Vice President of Energy Ali Ergün Özdemir , the project began in 2015 and was completed earlier this year. The value of the project reached EUR 45 million, of which 70 percent was from domestic subcontractors and suppliers of goods and services.
After obtaining a license from the Ministry of Energy and commissioning in February, the plant has delivered more than 50 GWh to the grid so far, with a monthly average of 7 GWh.
“Among the benefits of geothermal energy over other renewable energy sources, there is less need for land use,” Özdemir said.
The local subsidiary, MB Geothermal, has concessions to explore four geothermal areas in northern Croatia. The Turkish holding, which currently employs about 1,000 workers, 25 of which are in Croatia, is planning another 100 MW from geothermal sources in northern Croatia in the near future. 5,000 jobs would be created during construction and 80 percent of the EUR 400 million investment would be sourced from national suppliers.
“Annual energy production is equivalent to 500,000 barrels of imported oil, and there will be new business opportunities for the local, highly skilled oil and gas sector,” Özdemir said.
In September 2019, we reported that MB Geothermal has signed a contract with local firm Ekonerg for the design of a 19.9 MW geothermal power plant. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant will be build in Legrad, close to the city of Koprivnica in northern Croatia. This second plant of the company in the country is planned to generate around 165 GWh of electricity annually.
