The final press conference of the HyPoKraT project was held in Krapinske Toplice

On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, the final press conference for the HyPoKraT project – Hydrothermal Potential of Krapinske Toplice was held at the Special Hospital Krapinske Toplice. The project aimed to research and valorize the geothermal potential in the Municipality of Krapinske Toplice. The project was led by the Krapina-Zagorje County, with REGEA and the Municipality of Krapinske Toplice managing the operational aspects in collaboration with domestic and Norwegian experts. The total project value was 216,217.42 euros, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism for the period 2014-2021. The project outcomes, along with detailed study documentation, represent long-term value serving as a technical basis for implementing heating systems using geothermal energy. The gathered data, crucial for the study documentation, will form the foundation for future projects. Through their analysis, it is possible to accurately determine optimal locations for new geothermal wells and identify sites for installing new systems to harness this renewable energy.

UTILIZATION OF EXISTING SOURCES FOR HEATING AND EXPLORATION OF OTHER SOURCES IN THE KRAPINA-ZAGORJE COUNTY
Željko Kolar, the County Prefect of Krapina-Zagorje, thanked everyone involved in the HyPoKraT project and announced further activities of the county in harnessing geothermal potential. "To ensure this does not remain only in project documentation, we will now simultaneously proceed in two directions. The first is the design for using thermal energy to heat the Special Hospital Krapinske Toplice and our institutions managed by the county and municipality. The second involves exploring all potential sources in the Krapina-Zagorje County. Here in Krapinske Toplice, we will start using existing sources we already have, and simultaneously, we will conduct research on other thermal sources in the county. So, we begin utilizing existing sources here in Krapinske Toplice while concurrently conducting research on other thermal sources that we know exist, and existing wells used for exploring gas or oil in our county," said Prefect Kolar. The press conference also featured speeches from Julije Domac, the director of the Regional Energy-Climate Agency of Northwest Croatia, Gordana Jureković, the mayor of the Municipality of Krapinske Toplice, Danijel Javorić Barić, the director of the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation Krapinske Toplice, Roman Berenblyum, a special advisor at the Norwegian Research Center Norce, Alen Požgaj, the director of the company Bukotermal, and a representative of the technical project partner AP Consulting.

POTENTIAL ANNUAL SAVINGS OF 3 MILLION EUROS AND ADDITIONAL HEATING FOR 14,000 SQUARE METERS OF GREENHOUSES
Julije Domac, the director of the Regional Energy Agency of Northwest Croatia, emphasized that the HyPoKraT project demonstrated that by using geothermal energy in the Municipality of Krapinske Toplice, heating the Special Hospital and other economic facilities could save up to 3 million euros annually and additionally heat 14,000 square meters of greenhouses. "This is a renewable source of energy, one of the least used in the Republic of Croatia. The reason for that may be a lack of vision, ambition, and courage, which is not lacking in the Krapina-Zagorje County. Truly, in the times we live in, we must be aware that renewable energy sources, including geothermal energy, are among the riches of the Republic of Croatia. These renewable energy sources are Croatia's oil, the best oil, the best wealth we can use, which we need to use and open the doors to its use through projects like this," said Director Domac. "A fascinating and necessary project, as evidenced by an anecdote on my way to Krapinske Toplice. I spoke with a taxi driver, and we agreed that the fact there's no snow on the mountains at this time of year is worrisome, and we need to do something about it, and geothermal energy can be a step toward solving that problem," said Roman Berenblyum, a special advisor at the Norwegian Research Center Norce, who also gave a presentation in Krapinske Toplice about the center's role in the HyPoKraT project.

EXISTING WELL COULD REDUCE HEATING COSTS FOR HOSPITAL, MUNICIPALITY, KINDERGARTENS, AND CHURCHES BY 80%
"We all know we are talking about the existing well Krapinske Toplice 1, drilled in the 1980s. The well material is extremely high quality, and it has a capacity between 22 and 25 liters per second, which is truly generous. The temperature we defined through research is between 57 and 59 degrees Celsius. In the project, we covered the Maslačak Kindergarten, the church in Krapinske Toplice, the Municipality building, and, of course, the entire complex of the Special Hospital. All these buildings together annually consume about 4,300 megawatt-hours of energy for heating. If we used only this existing well for heating, without additional repairs, we could achieve an energy value of 3,500 to 3,700 megawatt-hours annually. In other words, using only this existing well, we could save a total of 80% of costs for all these buildings," said Director Alen Požgaj. Director Sladović added that the project included recording 12 magnetotelluric points to describe the geothermal system, providing a basis for further modeling. "This is an invaluable resource our municipality possesses, currently used only partially for spa and tourist purposes. Our potential is much greater but untapped. Therefore, I believe this project is a significant turning point in the whole story, as it creates serious and concrete foundations for the goal, which is actually harnessing our valuable resource. Through this project, technical documentation and analyses are being prepared, demonstrating the justification for investments and the development of geothermal projects for our energy needs, a crucial prerequisite for any investment," said Mayor Gordana Jureković, thanking the Krapina-Zagorje County and all other project partners.

SPECIAL HOSPITAL HAS 27,000 SQUARE METERS OF HEATED SPACE AND A GAS BILL OF 100,000 EUROS
"As the director of an institution with 27,000 square meters of heated space, where the last gas bill exceeded 100,000 euros, it's hard for someone in this room to be happier about the HyPoKraT project. I believe this project and these initial data, together with existing investments in the institution, will result in significant savings, which is significant financially. It shows a clear ecological dimension that will lead to an ecological green hospital, indicating a clear direction and a small sign of attention to our planet and everything it provides us today," said Director Javorić Barić of the Special Hospital. The conference was also attended by Deputy County Prefect Jasna Petek, Branimir Suton, Head of the Department for Technical Affairs and Maintenance of the Special Hospital, Nenad Miletić, Acting Assistant Director of the Regional Energy Agency of Northwest Croatia, Ivana Belić, Head of Strategic Communications at REGEA, Srećko Vrček, a special advisor, and Martina Krizmanić Pećnik, project manager for HyPoKraT.