Croatia will have enough gas for all consumers during the heating season, regardless of the crisis in Europe that would occur if Russia completely halted its gas supply, participants of the 6th international energy forum (INTERENEF), being held today in Split, emphasized.

The topic of the forum is the energy transition and green cities of the Mediterranean, and the organizer is the Institute for European and Globalization Studies.

The Director of the Energy Administration at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development Kristina Čelić pointed out that Croatia has developed gas infrastructure and procures sufficient quantities of gas via the LNG terminal on Krk, and in addition has domestic production.

“We are preparing for the heating season. Our customers next winter will be supplied with the quantities of gas needed, and in addition we will ensure sufficient quantities of electricity and thermal energy,” said Čelić.

She asserted that there would be no “price surges” of energy products in Croatia as is happening in several European countries, because the government has adopted a package of measures aimed at curbing the rise in energy prices. She recalled that electricity prices for households, businesses, and industry will not change until March 31, 2023.

The founder and director of INTERENEF Anđelko Milardović pointed out that Croatia does not depend on Russia for gas supply and is in a better situation compared to Germany and the countries of Central Europe.

According to him, the energy situation on the European continent is becoming more complicated with the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and there is a threat of a deepening energy crisis in Europe due to the reduction of Russian gas supplies.

“When temperatures drop to minus ten or fifteen, Putin could order Gazprom to shut the pipes, and then first economic problems would follow in Europe, and then those of a socio-political nature,” Milardović believes.

“In that case Russia can dictate the terms in Europe and at any moment we can expect Putin to turn off the gas supply and thus use energy products as a means of pressure on the West in order to weaken the West’s indirect intervention in the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” said Milardović.

Darija Karasalihović – Sedlar from the Department of Energy and Natural Gas at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering in Zagreb pointed out that climate change affects Croatia, especially through floods, and the energy transition must help us defend ourselves against such events in the future.

She recalled that there is currently no hydrogen production in Croatia and believes that infrastructure adaptation will be necessary in order to switch to hydrogen production so that by 2050 its share in total energy product consumption will be 15 percent.

Split Mayor Ivica Puljak reported that the city transport operator in Split is developing a project under which hydrogen will be used for the buses of the city transport operator Promet. He says that a project has already been developed under which electric buses will be procured.

Source: jutarnji.hr