Site for the proposed 68 MW hydroelectric plant “Ombla” near the Adriatic coast in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Photo from “Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) – Ombla Hydro Power Plant, Dubrovnik, Croatia” (HEP, May 2011)
This monthly report is being published late as a result of delays by agencies in the updating of records due to the year-end holiday season. To compensate, in this issue the geographic scope has been extended to include Georgia and Armenia, and – beyond the confines of Southeast Europe – Ukraine as well, and data has been introduced from a number of additional information sources.
Because renewable energy incentivization programs in many countries include high-efficiency cogeneration (consisting of electricity + heat, not to be confused with “combined cycle”, which is electricity + electricity), in this issue information on high-efficiency cogeneration is also provided where available.
Slovenia (Republika Slovenija)
Declarations of Renewable Energy Production Facilities
In November production facility declarations were issued for the following 63 renewable energy and high-efficiency cogeneration facilities:
Cogeneration: 4 facilities (0.14, 0.05, 0.01, and 0.01 MW)
Photovoltaic: 59 facilities (0.95, 0.51, 0.43, 0.32, 0.24, 0.18, 0.07, 0.05, 0.05, 0.05, ....0.01 MW)
Croatia (Republika Hrvatska)
Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
Between 28 October and 2 December the following 1 plant, which had already signed a power purchase agreement, was connected to the electrical grid and began receiving incentives:
Photovoltaic: 1 plant (0.01 MW)
Between 28 October and 2 December the following 20 plants signed power purchase agreements but were not yet connected to the grid:
Photovoltaic: 17 plants (0.999, 0.31, 0.28, 0.14, 0.03, 0.03, ... 0.01 MW)
Wind: 3 plants (15, 15, and 9 MW)
Decisions on Status as Eligible Producers
In November a final decision granting the status of eligible producer of renewable energy was given for 1 plant:
Photovoltaic: 1 plant (0.01 MW)
In November preliminary decisions granting the status of eligible producer of renewable energy were given for 8 projects:
Photovoltaic: 5 projects (0.31, 0.03, 0.03, 0.01, and 0.01 MW)
Wind: 3 projects (15, 15, and 9 MW)
Energy Licenses
In November no licenses for the production of electrical energy were issued for renewable energy projects.
Environmental Impact Assessments
In November no environmental impact assessments for renewable energy projects received decisions of acceptance. On 31 October a decision of acceptance (with conditions) was issued for the EIA of a wind project of 27 MW (9 turbines of 3 MW each) to be built 35 km southeast of Rijeka, while in November a 30-day public comment period was opened for a wind project of 87 MW (29 x 3 MW) to be constructed 25 km northwest of Dubrovnik and a public comment period concluded for a wind project of 132 MW (44 x 3 MW) planned for a site 25 km southeast of Dubrovnik along Croatia’s border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Also in November a public comment period closed for the EIA for the reconstruction of Block 1 of the coal-fired thermal power plant at Plomin, which would boost the capacity of Block 1 from 125 MW to 500 MW and raise the capacity of the entire TPP Plomin facility from 335 MW to 710 MW.)
In the News: It was announced on 25 November that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) had decided to provide a loan of up to € 123.2 mln to the Croatian electrical utility HEP d.d. for the construction of a 68.5 MW hydroelectric plant on the underground Ombla River near Dubrovnik, Croatia. According to the EBRD, “the financing facility to Hrvatska Elektroprivreda includes an €80 million portion for the Bank’s account, with the remaining €43.2 million to be syndicated to commercial banks.” For technical details on the projected plant see “Environmental Impact Study – Summary“ (HEP d.d., 1999) and “Underground concept for Croatia's Ombla project” (2011). For photos and maps of the area immediately below the planned site for the hydroelectric plant see the recent environmental impact assessment for a marina that is being planned for that area.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина)
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine / Федерација Босне и Херцеговине)
Licenses for the Production of Electrical Energy & Decisions on Status of Qualified Producer
In November a license for the production of electrical energy and the status of Qualified Producer of Electrical Energy were granted to one firm for 2 hydroelectric facilities:
Hydroelectric: 2 facilities (0.8 and 0.7 MW)
The two facilities both use Pelton turbines manufactured by Conel Company d.o.o. (Tuzla, Bosnia) and generators from Uljanik d.d. (Pula, Croatia).
Invitation of Public Comment on Proposed Energy Licenses
In November it was announced that written or oral comments by the public were being solicited regarding draft licenses that had been prepared for the following 3 facilities, which had earlier applied for licenses for energy production:
Hydroelectric: 3 facilities (1.2, 0.99, and 0.5 MW)
Photovoltaic: 1 facility (0.12 MW rooftop)
Preliminary Permissions for Construction of Energy Facilities
In November one request for a preliminary permission was submitted, for a 78 kW photovoltaic project to be installed on the roof of a public building.
Environmental Permits
In November a request for an environmental permit was submitted for the following renewable energy project:
Wind: 1 project (consisting of 18-21 turbines of 2-3 MW each)
The environmental permit was granted to the same project later in the same month.
Announcements of public comment periods for submitted EIAs were made for the above wind project as well as for a proposed gas-powered combined-cycle cogeneration power plant (391 MW in electricity, 170 MW in heat).
Republika Srpska (Република Српска)
Licenses for Electricity Production
In November no licenses for electrical energy production were issued for renewable energy projects.
Environmental Permits
In November no environmental permits were issued for renewable energy projects.
Environmental Impact Assessments
In November notices were posted concerning EIA screening decisions or final decisions reached earlier in the year for the following 3 renewable energy projects:
Hydroelectric: 3 projects (159 MW (EIA to be required), 36 MW (decision not revealed yet), and 2.0 MW (EIA approved and construction conditions specified))
Montenegro (Црна Гора)
Energy Licenses for the Construction of Energy Plants
On 8 November the Ministry Economy published a notice stating that because the country’s energy plans are currently under review and a great number of applications have been received for the issuing of energy licenses for the construction of energy production facilities, the Ministry is suspending until further notice the acceptance of applications for energy licenses for the construction of energy plants.
Construction Licenses
In November no construction licenses were issued for renewable energy facilities.
Environmental Impact Assessments
In November no approvals were granted for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for energy projects. The most recent approval of an EIA for an energy project was an approval granted in September 2011 for the construction of a hydroelectric plant of 1.2 MW in Berane in northern Montenegro
In November public notices were issued indicating that requests for decisions on the need for environmental impact assessments were filed for the following 4 renewable energy projects:
Hydroelectric: 4 projects (6.5, 3.4, 0.9, and 0.3 MW)
Albania (Republika e Shqipërisë)
Energy Production Licenses
In November 30-year energy production licenses were granted to 11 hydroelectric projects belonging to a single firm, all located along a river in eastern Albania near the Macedonian border:
Hydroelectric: 11 projects (10, 5.1, 4.6, 4.2, 2.8, 1.9, 0.9, 0.8, 0.5, 0.4, and 0.3 MW)
Qualification as Renewable Energy Source
In a separate act, the 11 projects mentioned above were granted official qualification as renewable energy sources.
Macedonia (Република Македонија)
Licenses for Energy Production
In November licenses for energy production were granted for the following 2 renewable energy projects:
Photovoltaic: 2 projects (0.994 and 0.3 MW)
Serbia (Република Србија)
In the News: At the end of November construction was completed on a 900 kW hydroelectric plant on top of an existing dam in southeastern Serbia. The work, which began in July, was budgeted to cost € 1.4 mln. The power plant consists of two turbines, of 800 kW and 100 kW, while the dam, completed in 2003 to create a reservoir for drinking water, is 90.5 m tall and 250 m long, and has a storage capacity of 23 million m3 of water.
Ukraine (Україна)
Decisions on Access to Green Tariffs
In November the following 2 projects were granted “green” tariffs for electricity production until the beginning of 2030 (a period of slightly more than 18 years):
Hydroelectric: 1 project (0.4 MW)
Photovoltaic: 1 project (20 MW)
Licenses for Electricity Production
In November licenses for electricity production were granted to the following 4 renewable energy projects:
Photovoltaic: 2 projects (20 and 20 MW)
Wind: 2 projects (25 and 3 MW)
Romania (România)
Green Certificates Issued
In November the following 2 facilities began receiving Green Certificates (Certificate Verzi) for the first time:
Hydroelectric: 2 facilities (9.9 and 0.05 MW)
In November the total installed capacities of renewable energy facilities in Romania that receive Green Certificates reached 25 MW for biomass, 124 MW for hydro, 1 MW for photovoltaic, and 809 MW for wind.
Grid Connection Contracts
To date 15 projects are known to have signed grid connection contracts in November:
Biogas: 1 project (3.3 MW)
Hydroelectric: 3 projects (3.4, 2.2, and 0.1 MW)
Photovoltaic: 7 projects (9.8, 9.5, 6.0, 6.0, 5.0, 4.1, and 0.004 MW)
Due to the publication of additional data in the interim, the data for projects that so far are known to have signed grid connection contracts in October can now be revised as follows:
Biomass: 2 projects (4.0 and 3.1 MW)
Hydroelectric: 5 projects (1.9, 1.7, 1.0, 0.9, 0.3 MW)
Photovoltaic: 1 project (0.0008 MW)
Wind: 4 projects (150, 93, 51, and 3.6 MW)
Grid Connection Permissions
To date 37 projects are known to have been granted permission in November for connection to the electrical grid:
Biogas: 1 project (0.73 MW)
Cogeneration: 3 projects (430, 1.8, and 0.2 MW)
Hydroelectric: 6 projects (97, 3.1*, 2.5, and 1.6 MW)
Photovoltaic: 18 projects (7.4, 5.8, 5.0, 5.0, 3.5, 3.3, 3.0, 1.5, 1.4, 1.4, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, ... 0.006 MW)
Wind: 9 projects (600, 110, 100, 99, 65, 65, 55, 51, and 6 MW)
*This grid permission was for 3 separate hydro plants with a combined capacity of 3.1 MW, but sources do not indicate the individual capacities of the 3 plants.
Due to the publication of additional data in the interim, the data for projects that so far are known to have been granted permission for a grid connection in October can now be revised as follows:
Biomass: 1 project (8.0 MW)
Hydroelectric: 8 projects (2.0, 1.7, 1.4, 1.2, 0.9, 0.7, 0.3, and 0.1 MW)
Photovoltaic: 16 projects (9.9, 9.3, 8.7, 7.0, 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, 5.5, 3.6, 3.5, 3.0, 3.0, 2.9, 1.1, 1.0, and 0.8 MW)
Wind: 23 projects (283, 278, 147, 102, 100, 90, 82, 75, 48, 45, 33, 30, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 8, 6, 3, and 2.5 MW)
Licenses for Energy Construction
In November licenses for were granted for construction of the following 3 energy production facilities:
Hydroelectric: 1 project (12 MW)
Wind: 2 projects (150 and 70 MW)
In addition, licenses were granted for the refurbishing of 3 existing hydroelectric plants (2.2, 2.2, and 2.2 MW), and for the construction of “new energy capacity” in 6 unspecified locations belonging to the firm “S.C. OMV Petrom SA”, at the request of the same firm. Because the firm listed is an oil and gas company, this license may in fact be for its subsidiary “S.C. OMV Petrom Wind Power S.r.l.”, which owns and operates the 45-MW wind park “Dorobantu”.
Bulgaria (Република България)
Plants in Operation
In November there was published a slight revision to the semi-annual list of certificates of origin for renewable energy plants, a list that had been published in October. A PV plant of 4 MW and a wind park of 1 MW were added to the list, so the list now shows 14 plants as having begun to produce electricity from renewable sources in the first half of 2011:
Photovoltaic: 9 plants (5.0, 3.9, 3.2, 3.0, 2.6, 1.1, 1.1, 1.0, and 1.0 MW)
Wind: 5 plants (50, 4.0, 2.0, 1.5, and 1.5 MW)
Energy Licenses
No public hearings regarding the licensing of large renewable energy projects were held in November. On 25 October public hearings were held regarding proposed licenses for 2 projects:
Photovoltaic: 1 project (10 MW, to be built in Sliven in 3 phases and connected to NEK’s 110/20 kV substation “Sliven – Industry”)
Wind: 1 project (44 MW, consisting of Gamesa G90 2 MW turbines installed in several phases)
After the public hearings, a 25-year license for energy generation was granted on 7 November to the firm developing the photovoltaic project above. (In Bulgaria, licenses for energy generation are required only if the project will have an installed capacity of 5 MW or more. For this reason, many photovoltaic projects in Bulgaria are split into sub-parks of less than 5 MW so that no energy license will be required.)
Greece (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία)
Plants in Operation
On 22 December a quarterly update was published to the list of renewable energy plants in operation in Greece, updated through the end of November 2011. In the 3 months between the previous update (through August 2011) and this latest update, 27 renewable energy plants entered operation:
Cogeneration: 3 plants (0.7, 0.1, and 0.1 MW)
Photovoltaic: 19 plants (6.0, 4.9, 3.7, 3.2, 3.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 1.9, 1.9, 1.9, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.0 MW)
Wind: 5 plants (30, 30, 26, 20, and 14 MW)
Grid Connection Requests
In November grid connection requests were received for 32 facilities:
Biogas: 1 facility (2 MW)
Photovoltaic: 21 facilities (10, 8.1, 7.0, 5.2, 5.2, 5.0, 5.0, 4.6, 4.6, 4.6, 3.5, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.8, 1.8, 1.7, 1.4, 1.2, 1.2, and 1.2 MW)
Solar Thermal: 8 facilities (2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1.3, and 1.3 MW)
Wind: 2 facilities (23 and 9 MW)
Energy Licenses
In November-December* applications for energy licenses were accepted for 113 projects:
Biomass: 7 projects (25, 3.0, 2.5, 2.5, 2.3, 2.3, and 2.3 MW)
Cogeneration: 1 project (1.6 MW, at a hospital)
Geothermal: 1 project (5 MW)
Hydro (mini): 3 projects (1.5, 1.0, and 0.6 MW)
Photovoltaic: 82 projects (40, 30, 20, 20, 20, 20, 18, 16, 16, 13, 13, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, … 1.2 MW)
Solar thermal: 4 projects (3, 1, 1, and 1 MW)
Wind: 14 projects (117, 46, 38, 36, 34, 33, 30, 30, 27, 24, 14, 10, 9, and 2 MW)
Hybrid RES: 1 project (69 MW)
*In Greece requests for energy licenses are accepted only in even-numbered months.
In November energy licenses were granted for 72 projects:
Hydroelectric: 1 project (231 MW)
Photovoltaic: 39 projects (18, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 7.2, 7.0, 7.0, 5.5, 5.0, 5.0, 4.0, 3.6, 3.1, 3.0, 2.8, 2.8, … 1.1 MW)
Solar thermal: 6 projects (5.2, 3.0, 2.6, 1.5, 1.3, and 1.1 MW)
Wind: 23 projects (37, 30, 30, 30, 25, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 15, 14, 14, 14, 12, 12, 12, 12, 9.2, 8.0, 6.6, and 6.0 MW)
Hybrid: 3 projects (16.2 MW wind + 16 MW hydro with pumped storage; 11.9 MW wind + 12 MW hydro with pumped storage; 20.4 MW wind + 20 MW hydro with pumped storage)
Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Energy Licenses
In November energy licenses were granted for 23 RES or cogeneration projects:
Biomass: 1 project (0.6 MW)
Cogeneration (NG): 1 project (2 MW)
Geothermal: 1 project (2.5 MW)
Hydroelectric: 6 projects (57, 17, 8.0, 6.0, 4.2, and 0.4 MW)
Wind: 14 projects (100, 80, 53, 50, 48, 30, 25, 15, 13, 12, 10, 10, 9, and 0.8 MW )
Environmental Impact Assessments
In November no positive decisions on EIA were made on energy investments involving renewable energy; the only positive ruling made for an energy investment was for a 190 MW combined-cycle natural-gas-fired power plant to be built at a location 60 km southwest of Ankara at an estimated cost of USD 168 mln.
Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն)
Energy Licenses
In November 2-year energy construction licenses were issued for 3 renewable energy projects:
Hydroelectric: 3 projects (1.7, 0.64, and 0.38 MW)
Georgia (საქართველო)
Environmental Impact Assessments
In November public hearings were held for a 702 MW hydroelectric project (3 turbines of 234 MW each) that will feature a dam 201 meters high. In November a public hearing was held and final environmental approval granted for another hydro project of 110 MW, and a public hearing was held for an additional hydro project of 20 MW.
Contact and siting information is available for all plants and projects mentioned, while additional technical or permitting details are available for most. Please contact to request a quote for single projects/plants, multiple projects/plants, or customized monthly reports by country and/or energy type.
Note to developers / project holders: A number of institutional investors have expressed interest in energy projects or plants in Southeast Europe. If you have a well-prepared project or operating plant for which you are seeking investors or buyers, feel free to send information, but be sure to indicate clearly 1) what you are seeking from the investors or buyers, 2) what your own role or involvement would be after the transaction, and 3) if it is a project, then what permits or steps still remain before construction can begin and any upcoming deadlines for feed-in tariff changes, license or PPA forfeiture, etc.
