Croatia’s EU-level tripartite framework sets a target of 500 MW / 1,000 MWh in additional storage by 2028. A 2026 European research snapshot, however, put operating capacity at about 66 MW. The figures show the difference between the country’s storage target and its installed capacity.
The framework comes as renewable generation in Croatia grows, with the country also connected to the coupled EU market. Periods of high prices in Southeast Europe provide a market rationale for storage, but Croatia has not kept pace with battery commissioning in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.
Regional scarcity pushed prices higher across central Southeast Europe in Week 42, when Croatia’s baseload average was about EUR 230.49/MWh. Storage can capture price discounts during solar hours and premiums in the evening. Investors, however, need clarity on the rules governing those revenues.
Project economics depend on clear operating and grid rules
Key issues include network tariffs, grid-connection treatment, access to system services and revenue certainty. Support funding envelopes alone do not make projects bankable, although grants can reduce capital expenditure. Developers also need a clear operating licence, a dispatch route, defined grid charges and predictable treatment of charging and discharging.
Uncertainty around these conditions could leave developers with permits but unable to reach financial close. Croatia’s next step is to establish standardised project rules that lenders and optimisers can price, including clear arrangements for tariffs and market access. Consistent rules could help the country use its position in the coupled market as an advantage and turn storage targets into operating assets. The outstanding question is whether project terms will become predictable enough for lenders and developers to proceed.