The first geothermal power plant near Bjelovar, some 85 km east of Zagreb in Croatia, the 16.5 MW Velika 1, has been officially opened on November 26, following an investment of 325 million kuna (43.7 million euro), said Croatia’s ministry of environmental protection and energy.

MB Holding was awarded a contract to build the Velika 1 geothermal power plant in 2015.

The power plant has been operating since March and has generated more than 55 GWh of electricity so far, the ministry said.

“If well designed and properly maintained, geothermal power plants can produce electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is electricity production which does not emit carbon into the environment,” the board chairman of Turkey’s MB Holding, Muharrem Balat said.

The Velika 1 power plant has opened 10 jobs upon commissioning. A total of 15 Croatian companies took part in its construction that took two years to complete.

Source: SeeNews