Croatia offshore wind factsheet

This factsheet outlines the latest developments for offshore wind in Croatia. For more detailed information, please check the most recent publications on the website.
Potential
In the Croatian section of the Adriatic Sea, three potential locations have been identified for offshore wind development. These include the open sea in front of the town of Pula and the island of Mali Lošinj, the open sea in front of the town of Šibenik, and the island of Mljet.58 The Pula area stands out as favourite due to its shallow sea depth of less than 60 meters. Additionally, its proximity to the coast offers the advantage of readily available infrastructure.
Based on estimates, Croatia is projected to have a total offshore wind capacity of 17 GW. Within this capacity, fixed wind farms are expected to contribute 24 percent (4 GW), while floating wind farms will account for the remaining 76 percent (13 GW).
Regulatory framework
Croatia has not yet introduced special legislation for offshore wind. However, recently it established a working group of nine ministries to discuss the implementation of the EU’s Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. Accordingly, a decision was taken in June 2023 to prepare a spatial plan for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea. The working group emphasised the need to involve all stakeholders related to the exploitation of the marine area. However, only representatives of relevant ministries and government agencies have been involved, and no final MSP has been agreed upon so far. It is crucial to also engage other participants who would be key to the development of offshore wind energy, such as grid connection managers, regional authorities and civil society organisations monitoring the environmental impacts of renewable energy projects, and industrial developers assessing the options for establishing extended supply chains and the necessary port infrastructure.
Maritime spatial planning
Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is a process that regulates marine activities. It is conceived as an analytical approach to organising human activities in marine areas to minimise impacts on marine ecosystems while maintaining their functions in support of human needs. MSP is an extension of land-based spatial planning, which needs to consider the wider coastal environment and associated activities. The introduction of the MSP process aims to co-ordinate the spatial impacts of the activities of different users by making them protective of the marine environment.
The development of Marine Spatial Plans (MSPs) represents a significant step forward in the application of ecosystem management to the marine environment. MSPs help EU Member States to efficiently organise and optimise the sea area to meet national energy objectives. By designating specific areas for offshore wind energy development and studies, it minimises delays in the development of renewable energy infrastructure and supports the achievement of “Good Environmental Status”. To fully exploit offshore wind energy as a clean domestic source, sufficient space must be allocated for wind turbines and the supporting electricity grid.
Croatia’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan includes a measure that outlines specific activities that need to be undertaken to incorporate renewable energy sources into spatial planning requirements, including offshore wind:
- Analysis of the current state of spatial capacities, including the identification and mapping of spatial, environmental (bio-ecological, landscape, geological), and social (space utilization) constraints.
- Establishment of guidelines and criteria for the selection of areas suitable for RES exploitation, considering the identified constraints.
- Promotion of professional education and the encouragement of cross-sectoral cooperation among experts.
- Enhancement of existing information systems by incorporating the necessary data for identifying potential constraints.
The development of offshore wind energy in Croatia depends on the inclusion of suitable areas in county spatial plans as there is still no final Maritime Spatial Plan. It also remains unclear whether offshore wind energy will be even incorporated into the strategic planning document. Moreover, the available information on the wind energy potential is based on estimations, and detailed measurements are underway, conducted by the domestic oil and gas company INA (Industrija nafte d.d.).
Environmental co-existence
When selecting an appropriate location for an offshore wind park, it is crucial to consider different geographic, environmental and social acceptance constraints. For offshore wind turbines, in Croatia due to the social acceptance of offshore wind energy projects, a minimum installation distance of 22.2 km (equivalent to 12 nautical miles) from coast is required. Moreover, the maximum permissible sea depth for bottom-fixed turbines is limited to 50 meters. In the case of floating wind turbines, the same installation distance restrictions apply, while the maximum allowable sea depth is set at 1,000 meters. It is imperative to ensure that the proposed wind farm does not interfere with navigation routes or encroach upon ecologically protected areas although in attempt to achieve the renewable energy objectives, it may be necessary to develop some of the offshore wind farms within protected areas. This does not preclude the fact that the construction, installation, and operation of these offshore power plants should prioritize sustainability issues.
Around 37% of the country’s land area and 16.26 percent of its marine territory is covered by Natura 2000, the widest among all EU member states. However, many areas within the Natura 2000 network offer suitable conditions for wind energy development. In the Adriatic Sea region of Croatia, a total of six Natura 2000 areas have been designated to safeguard the bottlenose dolphin population and their natural habitat, covering a total of 3 717 km2.
Grid and infrastructure development
The Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) is a policy aimed at connecting energy infrastructure across EU countries. It identifies eleven priority corridors and three thematic areas. In the context of offshore grid development, the Croatian part of the Adriatic is included in the South and West offshore grids corridor (Mediterranean Sea, including the Cadiz Gulf and neighboring waters) and the South and East offshore grids corridor (Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and neighboring waters).
Although there is a well-developed onshore electricity grid with potential for further expansion and improvement, there have been so far no plans for developing an offshore power network. The development of the latter will be demanding and costly, primarily due to the absence of relevant infrastructure, inexistent marine terminals that can support the construction of the offshore infrastructure. Currently, the most suitable options for repurposing are certain sections of cargo ports, such as the Port of Rijeka or the Port of Ploče, situated close to the zones with the highest offshore wind potential.