The construction of the exploratory geothermal well in Babina Greda has begun!

In Babina Greda, the official start of drilling at the site of the future geothermal power plant of ENNA Geo was marked yesterday.

Namely, ENNA Geo, through its project company Geo Power Babina Greda, is developing a geothermal power plant project for electricity production in Babina Greda, with a connection capacity of 15 MWe. The construction of an exploratory well in the geothermal water exploration field in Babina Greda has commenced. The plan is to drill the geothermal well to a depth of up to 3850 meters over the next 110 days and conduct production testing with an expected geothermal water flow of 110 liters per second and a temperature of 170 degrees Celsius. The investment value in this exploratory well amounts to 11 million euros. In Babina Greda, there are plans to drill three more wells and build a geothermal power plant, with a total planned investment value of 100 million euros.

– The process of drilling a well is very demanding and expensive. The risks are significant, and there are very few investors willing to bear them and capable of realizing such projects – emphasized Ivana Meašić, director of ENNA GEO. From the Vukovar-Srijem County, Enna, which finances this project, wished good luck in confirming the viability of the deposits, while State Secretary Vedran Špehar called such renewable energy production projects an imperative for the Republic of Croatia, especially in recent years. Josip Krnić, the mayor of Babina Greda, pointed out that the municipality has been dreaming of this investment for 30 years, which is finally coming to fruition.

According to current information, there are two geothermal water deposits in Babina Greda, and there is potential for commercial electricity production and the use of residual thermal energy for industrial operations and greenhouse production of fruits and vegetables.

Geothermal power plants provide the highest return to the local community among all renewable sources as they create new jobs, and investors are obliged to return a portion of the revenue to the municipality, county, and state. They occupy a very small area for their operations; for example, a geothermal power plant occupies ten times less space compared to a solar power plant of the same connection capacity. Moreover, geothermal power plants do not pollute the environment and do not produce waste that needs to be disposed of. At the same time, they bring numerous advantages for the stability of the electricity system as they produce energy almost continuously (day and night), their production does not depend on weather conditions (sun, wind), and they have great flexibility as they can reduce and increase electricity production from 100 to 30 percent of capacity, thereby contributing to the balancing of the electricity system.

The ENNA group has recognized the significant potential for investment in geothermal energy-related projects in Croatia. In addition to the Geo Power Babina Greda project, ENNA is also developing the Geo Power Zagocha geothermal power plant project near Slatina.

By investing in the geothermal power plant projects Zagocha and Babina Greda, the ENNA group positions itself as a leader in the field of renewable sources in Croatia, and these projects not only contribute to the green transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuels but also have strategic significance as they enable domestic electricity production from a constantly available, local resource.