On May 15 local time in Croatia, the Korlat 75MW photovoltaic project officially entered full-scale construction. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin, Croatia's Minister of Energy, local government officials, the Chairman of the Croatian Electricity Company (Hep), the Chairman of Northern International Cooperation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Northern International"), and Zhu Lin, the company's Deputy Party Secretary and Acting Chairman of the Labor Union, jointly visited the project site.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized that the Korlat Hybrid Energy Park is one of the key projects for implementing energy transition and decarbonization, as well as one of the Croatian government's four strategic goals. He noted that Chinese enterprises' technical expertise and efficient execution capabilities in the renewable energy sector have set a benchmark for cooperation in Croatia's renewable energy development, marking a new phase in China-Croatia relations in the field of sustainable development. The Prime Minister highlighted the project's strategic value in enhancing Croatia's energy independence and paid close attention to the preparatory work during the site inspection.
Chinese Ambassador Qi Qianjin congratulated the project on its full-scale commencement. He expressed hope that Chinese state-owned enterprises would achieve even greater success in Croatia, contributing more Chinese wisdom and solutions to local economic and social development. He also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and exchanges with local enterprises to achieve mutual benefits and shared growth, elevating China-Croatia collaboration to new heights.
As Croatia's largest photovoltaic project to date, the Korlat 75MW PV project is expected to generate 165 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually upon completion, meeting the electricity needs of approximately 50,000 Croatian households. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 150,000 tons each year, providing momentum for Croatia's energy transition and green economic development. The project is being constructed under an EPC contract by a consortium formed by the company and Northern International. This marks a significant breakthrough for the company in the European renewable energy market and serves as a comprehensive test of the international engineering and contracting capabilities of Chinese state-owned enterprises. The project team will seize this opportunity to bolster confidence, maintain high morale, and dedicate full efforts to ensure the project's timely completion and operation, injecting new vitality into Croatia's local economy.
Zhu Lin and his delegation also conducted an inspection and review of the project site, engaging in in-depth discussions with all participating parties about the project's progress. Zhu Lin highly commended the project team for their proactive attitude and scientifically effective strategies in addressing numerous challenges during the project's advancement, fully affirming the team's preparatory achievements.
The event was attended by invited journalists from Xinhua News Agency (European Bureau) and relevant personnel from the company's International Business Division.
