Austrian developer eyes up to 54MW Croatia solar PV

Austrian renewables developer RP Global is planning to build two solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Croatia with a combined installed capacity of up to 54MW at the site of its already operating 34.2MW Rudine wind farm in the country's southeast.

The Rudine 1 and 2 solar PV plants would have installed capacity of 13 MW and up to 41MW, respectively, and would operate on an area of 80 ha in total at Dubrovacko Primorje, preliminary licensing documents said. The smaller unit is expected to produce 19.6 GWh/yr of electricity, while output at the bigger plant could be 42-57.4 GWh/yr, depending on its eventual connecting capacity. This could range between 25MW and 35MW, the documents said.

RP Global commissioned the 34.2MW Rudine wind farm in 2016 and also developed the 43.7MW Danilo wind unit in Croatia in 2014. The company launched a licensing procedure last year for a future 18MW solar PV unit at Novalja on the island of Pag.

In another recent development, German renewables developer WPD started licensing in October for a 35MW solar PV plant at the site of its already operating 34.2MW Katuni wind farm at Sestanovac in southeast Croatia.

Croatia's solar PV and wind capacities may rise to 768MW and 1,364MW in 2030 from an estimated 96MW and 734MW in 2020, respectively, the government said in its National Energy and Climate Plan.

By Bela Fincziczki