About project

The potential of geothermal energy in Town of Križevci area arises from its location in the former Pannonian Basin, geological structure and its features such as a favorable geothermal gradient, or the possibility of forming underground deposits of geothermal water.

In the area of Town of Križevci there is a geothermal well Križevčanka-1. Geological and related tests of well, reservoir and geothermal fluid characteristics were conducted in two phases which showed that at a depth of 1496 m there is a geothermal fluid with a temperature of 68 ˚C, yield 3.5-5 l / s and reservoir pressure of 103 bar.

The ultimate goal and long-term strategic plan is the utilization of the Križevci area geothermal potential for energy purposes, especially for heating of existing public facilities (Gymnasium, Secondary Agricultural School, College of Agriculture and Sports Hall) located near the current existing wells Kža-1, as well as its usage in greenhouses or greenhouses and driers (in cooperation with the College of Agriculture Križevci) and possible heating the Town Pool.

The use of geothermal energy for economic purposes for district heating solves the supply of thermal energy to the above facilities. Geothermal energy is gaining in value and importance at the current moment of strong growth in the prices of all energy sources in the world, the consequences of which are also felt by Croatia. The European Green Plan has defined geothermal energy as one of the renewable sources. The European Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy brings together thousands of local authorities who have volunteered to implement the European Union’s climate and energy goals, supporting a shared vision for 2050 committing signatory cities to action to support GHG reduction and adoption. a common approach to tackling climate change mitigation and adaptation. In 2011, the City of Križevci joined the Covenant of Mayors. By signing the Agreement, the city administration has committed itself to implementing a number of energy efficiency measures that will ultimately reduce CO2 emissions by more than 20% by 2030.

Croatia is one of the few European countries extremely rich in geothermal sources of very high temperatures. In order to increase the use of geothermal energy, the Strategy of Geothermal Potential of the Republic of Croatia is being drafted, which will include the knowledge and experience of oil experts and geologists to point out to all decision makers the importance of geothermal sources as renewable, green energy sources. According to current estimates, the current Croatian potential is about 500 MWe from known geothermal deposits, and the actual potential is much higher. Croatia has above-average geothermal water temperatures, ie approx. 60% more than the European average, and among them is a significant number of deposits with temperatures above 150oC that are suitable for electricity production. At the moment, as many as twelve exploration areas of geothermal water for the production of heat and electricity and five exploitation fields in production and use (one for the production of electricity and four for the production of heat) are active. The geothermal database is a large set of data collected in the last 40 years in the area of Slavonia, Međimurje and Podravina during INA’s drilling for oil and gas. Large initial investments in geothermal projects are regularly the biggest problem for investors due to the reluctance of banks to finance research with an uncertain outcome that can now be bridged with EU funds. The City of Križevci also recognized this, and initiated projects to exploit geothermal deposits in its area. Increasing the production capacity of geothermal energy is directly related to reducing CO2 emissions because geothermal energy is a renewable energy source. The City of Križevci is the founder of Komunalno poduzeće d.o.o. and the majority owner with a 76.5% share in the share capital of the company, which is a company registered for the activity of exploitation of mineral resources and exploration of mineral resources and geothermal waters. The City of Križevci and the Utility Company d.o.o. In 2011, they concluded an Agreement on Business Cooperation which established a common interest in cooperation in the field of the use of renewable energy sources, ie the geothermal source “Križevčanka-1”. The City of Križevci concluded with Komunalno poduzeće d.o.o. In 2020, the Agreement on business cooperation in the research of geothermal waters in the exploration area “Križevci”, and thus included the company as its partner in the project of research of geothermal waters in this area.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy has issued a Decision on the issuance of a permit for the exploration of geothermal waters in the exploration area “Križevci” (CLASS: 310-01 / 20-03 / 05, REGISTRATION NUMBER: 517-06-3-1-20-1 of 13. January 2020, to the company KOMUNALNO PODUZEĆE doo Analysis and processing of available geological, geochemical geophysical well data and reinterpretation of data recorded by 2D seismic profiles in the exploration area “Križevci” and two potential micro-locations for the construction of a new well. The project of the geothermal well Križevčanka -1 (Kža-1) -hydrodynamic testing was prepared and on January 19, 2021, the Certificate of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development was obtained that Komunalno poduzeće d.o.o. can start performing oil and mining works according to the prepared Project. The goal of performing exploratory oil and mining works in the existing geothermal well Kža-1 is hydrodynamic measurement for the purpose of determining the characteristics of the reservoir and defining the parameters of the reservoir required for the preparation of the Study on Reserves. The geothermal well project (Kža-1-hydrodynamic tests) plans trial operation for the needs of hydrodynamic and laboratory tests in order to determine the characteristics of the reservoir.