Deadline: 28-Jan-22
Open Call for Project Proposals “Increased geothermal energy production capacity” under the “Energy and Climate Change Programme”, funded by the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 in the Republic of Croatia.
The Call is in line with the provisions of the Programme Agreement for the financing of the Programme “Energy and Climate Change” and the Regulation on the implementation of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021, of the respective Regulation and the national strategic and legislative framework related to the Programme relevant sector.
The Republic of Croatia has very favourable conditions for the usage of renewable energy sources due to its geographic position, geological setting and climate. In the Energy Development Strategy and the legislative framework on energy, the utilization of renewable energy sources (including wind, sun, water, biomass and geothermal energy) is defined of being a special national interest.
Goals
The main goal of the Programme is to increase the usage of technologies with lower carbon emissions and enlarged security of energy supply in the Republic of Croatia, which is aligned to the key objectives of the EEA and Norway Grants. Therefore, the Programme focuses on the following areas of support:
- Renewable energy
- Energy efficiency
- Energy security
- Mitigating the effects of climate change
- Adaptation to climate change
The Programme`s objective, “Less carbon intensive energy and increased security of supply”, will be achieved through two outcomes:
- Outcome 1: “Improved energy efficiency”
- Outcome 2: “Increased renewable energy production”
Areas
Regarding the geological properties and geothermal potential, Croatia can be generally divided into two areas:
- Pannonian basin – the most potential region regarding geothermal energy with the average geothermal gradient commonly higher than 40°C/km which locally reaches values of more than 70°C/km while terrestrial heat-flow density ranging from 60 to over 100 mW/m2 . Since the geothermal gradient in the Pannonian area is significantly higher than the European average, it is expected that new geothermal resources will be discovered.
- Dinarides – compared to Pannonian basin, this region has low geothermal potential, but it is still insufficiently explored. The geothermal gradient ranges between 10 and 30°C/km and the terrestrial heat-flow density ranges between 20 and 60 mW/m.
Funding Information
- The amount allocated to this Call for Proposals is 4.956.000,00 EUR.
- The minimum grant amount for one project shall be 200.000,00 EUR.
- The maximum grant amount for one project shall be 1.300.000,00 EUR
- The planned (eligible) duration of project implementation is from 12 to 24 months.
Eligible Activities
Eligible activities are related to the objectives of the Programme’s Result Framework. Support can be provided to projects that will carry out activities related to:
- Increase the installed capacity of geothermal energy;
- Increase geothermal energy production and annual CO2 emission reduction;
- Pilot project investments related to the activities such as:
- Construction or refurbishment of production and injection wells in areas with existing exploration or production licenses,
- Refurbishment and/or extension of an existing geothermal heating system,
- Construction of infrastructure connection(s) to integrate geothermal heat into an existing district heating system,
- Technological and infrastructure changes to existing district heating systems to integrate geothermal energy source(s).
- project management and administration activities;
- promotion and visibility activities.
Location of the Project
The selected projects will be implemented in the continental area of the Republic of Croatia, i.e. the Pannonian and Northern Croatia as per the relevant NUTS 2 classification. Additionally, bilateral cooperation activities can be implemented on the territory of Donor States.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Project Promoters / Applicants: Any entity, public or private, commercial, or non-commercial and non-governmental organization, established as a legal person in Croatia.
- Eligible Project Partners: Any public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, and a non-governmental organization established as a legal person in donor states (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Croatia.
For more information, visit https://eeagrants.hr/en/technical-documentation-for-geothermal-energy-2/