Country Review

CROATIA

Croatia became a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1996. According to the Article 22 of the UNFCCC, as a country undergoing the process of transformation to the market economy, among other obligations, Croatia undertook to maintain the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the 1990 level.

Even before the First National Communication, made in compliance with the UNFCCC, greenhouse gas emission inventories of the pollutant emissions into atmosphere had been made in Croatia for the most important GHG (CO2, CH4 and N2O) and other pollutants (SO2, NOx, CO, NMVOC, NH3, heavy metals and persistent organic compounds). Since 1995, data on GHG emissions have been regularly collected and annual reports on the pollutant emissions prepared by organisations acting on behalf of Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning (MEPPP). Analogous specific data are also collected and published by environmental protection divisions of large companies within the energy sector.

Croatia has signed the Kyoto Protocol according to which it will have to reduce the greenhouse gas emission by 5% in the 2008-2012 period as compared to the base year. As documented in the recent National Inventory Report, the base value (1990 level) of total GHG emissions in Croatia is 31609 kt, which was significantly decreased in the next 1991-1995 period due to decline of economic activities and energy consumption caused by war in Croatia, followed by transition processes in national economy. As a result, some energy intensive industries reduced their activities leading to decrease of GHG emission levels to the minimum of 21862 kt in 1994. With the recovery of economy, from 1995 on, an annual increase of 3% in total emissions has been recorded.

In 2002, total national GHG emissions were 27961 kt eq-CO2, the major part being associated with CO2 (76.8%), followed by CH4, (12.3%) N2O (10.8%) and HFCs (0.2%). Roughly the same compositional structure of the major GHG in total emission has been observed in the period from 1990-2003. Based on the present rate of emission increase, Kyoto Protocol 1990 values are to be reached in 2005-2006.

The base (1990) value for CO2 is 22970 kt and the present (2002) emissions of carbon dioxide are 21484 kt per year, the main contributor to anthropogenic CO2 emissions being energy sector (fossil fuel combustion) and to a less extent some industrial processes (e.g. cement production). Approximately 21% of the total CO2 emissions in Croatia come from 10 point sources. Nine of the point sources are associated with thermal power plants, operated by Croatian Electricity Utility Company (HEP) and account for 18% of the total CO2 emissions. According to the HEP data, CO2 emissions from 9 thermal power plants have risen in 1990-2002 period from 3800 to 4600 kt/yr.

One remaining major point source is related to oil industry (INA Oil &Gas Co.; gas processing plant in Molve gas field), accounting for 2.7% of total annual CO2 emissions in Croatia. Longer term projections performed indicate total CO2 emissions of 24958.9 kt in 2010, 27674.2 kt in 2015 and 30389.6 kt in 2020, due to the increased industrial activity. Related to the Kyoto Protocol commitments, (5 % reduction of the GHG emission in the 2008-2012) this translates to approximately 5800 kt of eq-CO2 to be disposed off. Major problem related to the power plant point sources are technical and/or economic aspects of capture, processing and transport of flue gases, prior to sequestration in geological formations.

Geological storage is currently given major consideration as a method to decrease CO2 emissions in Croatia. The first, imminent option are tertiary CO2 EOR projects that are being developed for 3 mature oilfields and associated CO2 sequestration aspects are being evaluated. These include Ivaniæ and Benièanci oil fields and Žutica oil and gas field. Primary source of the CO2 for these projects will be pure CO2 from Molve gas processing plant. Ivaniæ and Žutica fields have Upper Miocene sandstone reservoir rocks interlayered with impermeable intervals thus forming multiple reservoirs. Injection of CO2 under miscible conditions is being tested there. The third field – Benièanci contains oil in Lower-Middle Miocene rockfall breccias and conglomerates. Present decreasing production is expected to be improved by the Double Displacement Process (DDP) – CO2 gas will be injected into a watered out part of the reservoir to recover more oil. Considerable retention of the CO2 can be expected under the process conditions.

Throughout the Northern Croatia there are around 75 structures including oil and gas fields, non-commercial hydrocarbon accumulations and geothermal pools, which means that there is a considerable potential for geological sequestration of CO2 in these reservoirs. Hydrodynamic CO2 trapping is being considered in terms of identification and selection of candidate reservoirs.

Sequestration of CO2 in deep saline formations is yet to be evaluated. It can be generally stated that Upper Miocene sandstone-shale sequence is well developed, particularly in NW part of Croatia. In structural depressions this sequence is covered by 500-1000 m thick Pliocene-Quaternary sediments, but sealing efficiency is hindered by lithological composition of the upper part of this overburden.