Croatia

Country: Croatia

Document type: National Strategy

Title: Croatia adopts Hydrogen Strategy from 2021-2050 (media reporting)

Released: March 2022

Summary Points:

According to English language reporting, two industry development scenarios are raised in the strategy:

• In a climate neutrality by 2050 scenario, Croatia would install 70 MW of hydrogen electrolyser production capacity by 2030 rising to 2,750 MW capacity by 2050 (with hydrogen accounting for 11% of total energy consumption in 2050)
• In an accelerated hydrogen development scenario within the EU (as well as heightened potential for renewables in Croatia), electrolyser production capacity is placed at 1,270 MW in 2030 and 7,330 MW by 2050 (with hydrogen accounting for 15% of total energy consumption in 2050)

The strategy includes capital investment projections for both scenarios (such projections including costs associated with electrolysers, compressors and hydrogen tanks).

• It is estimated that the climate neutrality scenario would require investments of around €3 billion by 2050, while the accelerated development scenario would require around €9 billion.

The strategy outlines a vision for hydrogen technology development in Croatia, including for production, R&D, manufacturing and infrastructure development.

Croatia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan allocates €658 million to low-carbon energy transition through modernising energy infrastructure, supporting investments for the production of advanced biofuels and renewable hydrogen and financing innovative carbon capture and storage projects. (Note: the Recovery and Resilience Facility is at the heart of the EC’s  REPowerEU Plan implementation and funding.

In August 2024, media reports, on the basis of a study commissioned by the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, indicate that Croatia is advancing its hydrogen strategy with 32 pilot projects at various stages of development, and with renewable hydrogen production, on a baseline scenario, reaching 26,400 tonnes by 2030 (and projected to increase to 243,200 tonnes by 2050). It is reported that the study’s (baseline) scenario projections include significant hydrogen production capacities, with the required electrolysis power projected to reach 510 MW by 2030, increasing to 1,873 MW by 2040 and 4,693 MW by 2050.

 

Reviewed: October 2024