With vast tracts of agricultural land, unblemished countryside and rows of uniform vineyards, Croatia's eastern region of Slavonia is unquestionably beautiful. Pretty though it is, Slavonia is also one of the poorest regions in Croatia.
But, just as natural assets provide the region with its essential agriculture, so too could they create some of Slavonia's power. Waters discovered during the mid-80s oil exploration of Vukovar-Srijem county are currently being evaluated with a view to building a geothermal power plant main picture) which would make the county energy independent.
An assessment study of the area's potential confirmed with 90% certainty that the county could bank on geothermal water capacity of 6400 m³ per day (74 l/s). The water temperature at the mouth of the well would be 125ºC, which gives a heat-generation capacity of 27 MW and a net electricity generation of 1 MW. This would be enough to supply 1000 households with electricity.
The geothermal source could offer even more if the drill is deepened to 3800 metres where the temperature is higher than 170ºC. This would provide between 15 to 20 MW of electricity. 85% of the finances for research and necessary documentation (a little over 2 million kunas) has been provided by EU funds. Delivery of the completed documentation is expected to take place within the next ten months.