ENNA begins geothermal drilling at Babina Greda, Croatia
Drilling has started at the Babina Greda site of ENNA Geo in Croatia, working towards a planned 15-MWe geothermal power facility.
ENNA Geo, through its project company Geo Power Babina Greda, has officially started drilling at the site of the future geothermal power plant in Babina Greda, Croatia. The development plan envisions a geothermal power facility with an installed capacity of 15 MWe. The ENNA Group took over the project in 2022.
The plan is to drill to a depth of 3850 meters depth, where geothermal waters at 170 °C temperature and flowrate of 110 L/s are expected. The drilling operations is forecasted to take 110 days, and investment on the exploratory well amounts of EUR 11 million. The overall development plan also involves the drilling of three additional wells. The total planned investment for the geothermal power plant and drilling operations is about EUR 100 million.
According to current findings, Babina Greda has two geothermal water reservoirs, offering potential for commercial electricity production and utilisation of the remaining thermal energy for industrial facilities and greenhouse cultivation of fruits and vegetables.
Representatives from Vukovar-Srijem County, where ENNA is funding the project, wished the company success in confirming the reservoir’s potential. State Secretary Vedran Spehar described renewable energy projects like this as an imperative for Croatia, particularly in recent years. Josip Krni?, Mayor of Babina Greda, noted that the municipality has been dreaming of this investment for 30 years, and it is finally becoming a reality.
“The drilling process is highly complex and costly. The risks are significant, and very few investors are willing and capable of carrying out such projects,” highlighted Ivana Meaši?, Director of ENNA Geo.
Just recently, ENNA Geo announced the confirmation of a high-temperature geothermal resource at the Zagocha site. With the potential in Zagocha better defined, the company is now proceeding with preparation work for the geothermal power plant construction.
Source: ENNA