EUROTIM EKO d.o.o. and OTP banka d.d. entered into the Agreement on financing the construction of the SE KOLJANE solar power plant with a capacity of 8.59MW

At the today’s ceremony at the headquarters of OTP banka d.d. in Split, the Agreement on financing the construction of the SE KOLJANE solar power plant was signed. The Agreement was signed by Ante Kojundžić, director of EUROTIM EKO d.o.o., Balázs Békeffy, president of the Board of OTP banka d.d. and Andreas Rörig, President of the Board of E.ON Croatia. Along with other representatives of EUROTIM d.o.o., OTP banka d.d., E.ON Hrvatska, a member of the HAMAG BICRO Management Board, Ms Marijana Oreb, was also present at this signing ceremony.

"The company EUROTIM d.o.o. celebrated its 31st birthday in a unique way. Namely, the construction site was registered 31 years after the date of the company's foundation, March 15, 1991, which officially marked the beginning of the construction of the SE KOLJANE solar power plant. The works are performed by E.ON Solar and Eurotim d.o.o. with the engagement of local subcontractors," said Ante Kojundžić at the signing.

The power plant is located in the town of Vrlika, not far from Peručko lake, on an area of 13 ha. The installed capacity of the power plant is 8,593 kWp, and the annual production is about 11,500,000 kWh, which accounts for the annual needs of about 3,000 households. The total production will be purchased by the company E.ON Energija d.o.o. The construction of the power plant was also supported by the local authorities of the town of Vrlika, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Economy, Croatian Forests, the Split and Dalmatia County, HAMAG-BICRO and HEP ODS - which prepared the documentation and invited a public tender for the construction of a connection facility that enables fast and high-quality access to the network at the location itself.

The importance of this construction project was recognized by OTP banka d.d. and HAMAG-BICRO which participate in the financing. The construction, as well as the sale of electricity, are not co-financed from the budget or EU funds, but only from commercial sources. "I am proud that we at OTP banka have been given the opportunity to finance the project of a commercial solar power plant, because we are a bank that wants to strengthen its investments in renewable energy sources. We are the first bank in Croatia that installed its own solar systems on its office buildings almost a decade ago, and we produce energy for our own needs. We are committed to sustainable development and invest significant efforts in the integration of ESG criteria in all segments of our business", stated Balázs Békeffy, President of the  Board of OTP banka. Marijana Oreb,  member of the HAMAG - BICRO Board, pointed out: "HAMAG wants to contribute to the positive efforts of our entrepreneurs with its actions and activities. I think that precisely by supporting this project in synergy with OTP banka, we are proving our mission, because we are not only supporting our entrepreneurs but also creating the foundations of Croatia's green future."

"As we are facing one of the most uncertain winters in the last few decades, it is expected that the transition of the companies will go even more strongly in the direction of setting up a business that is resistant to external impacts. A part of that is certainly energy independence as well as the transition to renewable energy sources, which have become the highest priority. The SE Koljane project is currently the largest commercial project we have underway where, according to the financing model, we have a co-ownership share for a certain period. This is also one of the more complex projects on our market where, due to the demands of the terrain, we had to tackle a more complex design and optimise the performance itself. But owing to the expertise of our multidisciplinary team, we have once again shown that we have the knowledge and resources to build a more energy-sustainable and stable world together with our partners, and we thank them for their trust," said Andreas Rörig, President of the Board of E.ON Croatia.

Completion of construction and putting of the plant into operation is planned for the middle of 2023. In addition to this power plant, a building permit is to be issued for another solar power plant, SE DERVEN, with an installed capacity of 4MW, at the same location, the completion of which is expected in 2-3 years.