The work on the largest Croatian solar power plant on Cres Island continues

The total installed capacity of the power plant is 6.5 MW, and construction began in the spring of 2020. Since the location of the power plant is outside of the Cres towns and villages, the work continued during the summer season, therefore not bothering tourists who arrive at the island.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the project continued as planned. It is also the largest and financially most lucrative project in the history of HEP (Croatian Electricity Network). The company is also considering building two additional solar power plants on Cres Island; one would have a capacity of 4.14 MW and be located near this one; another one would have a capacity of 9.99 MW and location near Osora village.

This power plant is situated on an area of 17.3 ha, east of the Porozina – Mali Lošinj road, near Orlec village. A total of 20.330 solar panels will be installed. They will be placed in a way which won’t disturb smaller animals and sheeps which gather in that area. The expected electricity distribution is estimated to be 8.5 million kwH per year, which is enough for 2.500 households. The project is a cooperative effort from private landowners, Cres town, Primorsko-Goranska County and HEP.  COVID-19 pandemic somewhat slowed down the building process, but once the restrictions were brought down, the work continued as usual.

The material needed for building the power plant will be brought by cargo ships, while the construction will be done by the local companies. The deadline to finish the power plant is April 2021, but investors think everything will be finished even before then. Focus was especially on the environment and protecting the natural resources of Cres island. It is assumed that animals living nearby will eventually use solar panels as a protection from bad weather. This will be bio-technological symbiose of some kind, since animals will also keep the area somewhat clean, by eating the grass around the plant. 

Source: Otoci.eu