Within the framework of the project “Development of technical documentation for the use of geothermal energy in the area of the City of Križevci” (Ref. no. 12), co-financed from the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021. – Program “Energy and Climate Change”, City of Križevci and the project partners Komunalno poduzeće d.o.o. Križevci and Efla h.f. Iceland organized joint study trip of representatives of the City of Križevci and Komunalno poduzeće d.o.o. Križevci from August 27 to September 2, 2023.
Project partner EFLA h.f. prepared the program of the study trip and organized meetings, presentations by experts in the field of geothermal energy and tours to the locations of geothermal power plants and heating plants, boreholes, greenhouses for vegetable production, tourist facilities developed on geothermal potential and other locations where it is possible to see examples of the use of geothermal energy in Iceland.
On Monday August 28 in the premises of project partner EFLA in Reykjavik, meetings were held with project partners and experts related to the use of geothermal energy in Iceland and the presentation and financing of such projects, after which the project partners visited a hydrogen vehicle filling station.
On Tuesday August 29 Croatian project partners together with a representative of project partner EFLA visited Hellisheidi – the largest geothermal power plant in Iceland and toured the nearby geothermal area.
On Wednesday, a meeting was held in the premises of the electricity and heat distribution company RARIK where the residential heating project in the city of Höfn was presented, after which the partners in the field part visited Reykjanes, Gunnuhver, Krisuvik geothermal area, Svartsengi geothermal power plant and other locations.
On Thursday, the Croatian partners, together with a representative of the project partner EFLA, visited the location of Laugarvatn Fontana, where the geothermal spa center is located, the Fridheimar tomato farm with greenhouses that use geothermal energy for production, the Kópsvatn ORC power plant, which was established by a Swedish company for the purpose of pilot testing its technological solutions and other locations according to the program.
On Friday, the final meetings were held in EFLA’s premises with project partners with an emphasis on the possibility of applying Icelandic solutions in the case of a geothermal well in Križevci and putting it into the function of producing energy for heating purposes, as well as a meeting with representatives of the Icelandic pension fund that invests in geothermal energy projects, related to the geothermal energy use project in Križevci.