The director of ENNA Geo presented two geothermal power plant projects being developed by the ENNA Group.

Zagreb, June 12, 2025 – Ivana Meašić, director of the company ENNA Geo, participated on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in the conference “Energy from the depths 2025”, organized by Energetika Marketing and HESO (the Croatian Professional-Scientific Association for Energy, Mechanical Technologies, and Renewable Sources). Representatives of institutions, scientists, and investors discussed the development of geothermal energy in Croatia, highlighting the many challenges slowing down projects implementation.

In a one-on-one conversation, Ivana Meašić presented the geothermal power plant projects being developed by ENNA Geo: Geo Power Zagocha near Slatina and Geo Power Babina Greda.

She pointed out the high upfront costs and the technical and geological risks associated with drilling, placing special emphasis on the importance of premium contracts. She stated that Geo Power Zagocha is the most advanced geothermal power plant project in Croatia, and that since November 2023 it has had all the necessary documentation to participate in HROTE’s tender for awarding market premiums. However, that tender has not been announced for a year and a half.

“We are on the verge of obtaining a construction permit, but we are stalled because we cannot proceed with project development and order equipment while waiting for the state – which claims to support geothermal development – yet takes no concrete action,” Meašić warned.

She emphasized that geothermal projects give back the most to local communities among all renewable energy sources, since investors are obliged, under exploitation agreements, to return a portion of total revenues to the municipality and the county.

“Specifically, for the Zagocha project, based on the price from the last HROTE tender adjusted for inflation and with annual production of 8,000 hours, the municipality of Čađavica would receive €650,000 annually for the next 12 years, the county would get half that amount, and the state would receive €650,000. In addition, we’re creating 15 jobs of various profiles at the power plant,” said Meašić.

In addition to Zagocha, she also presented the project in Babina Greda, where drilling of the exploratory well is expected to begin in the second half of August this year, with a planned depth of 3,800 meters and an expected temperature of 160–170°C.

As a major advantage of geothermal power plants, Meašić highlighted their continuous production, which does not depend on weather conditions, and their high flexibility, allowing production to be lowered by up to 30% in near real time – a key feature for an electric grid increasingly connected to renewable energy sources.

She noted that the sun, wind, and geothermal energy are Croatia’s national resources, and that there is room for all three technologies, given that Croatia is a net importer of electricity and only a diversified portfolio can ensure the country’s energy independence.

Alongside Ivana Meašić, the conference was also attended by Boris Vidoš, project manager for the construction of GTE Zagocha, and Ivan Marković, mechanical projects lead at Geo Power Zagocha.