Croatian Electricity Network Needs Modernization, Says Expert
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Croatia needs to draw a lesson from the power outages in Spain and Portugal as 61 percent of its electricity transmission network is outdated and in urgent need of modernization, a Croatian energy expert warned on Wednesday.
Croatia must urgently secure financial resources to begin large-scale electricity transmission network upgrades as such investments can take up to ten years to complete, said Julije Domac, special advisor on energy and climate of the Croatian president, in an interview with the Croatian Radio Television (HRT).
A massive blackout swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving large parts of both countries without electricity and causing widespread disruption.
Domac warned that Croatia remains highly vulnerable to regional power disruptions, Xinhua reported.
He recalled that in June last year, parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania experienced a major blackout during an intense heatwave.
Meanwhile, the HEP Group, Croatia's national power company, said on Wednesday that modernization efforts are already underway as part of a ten-year network development plan worth 1.4 billion euros (1.59 billion US dollars).
