GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN REPUBLIC OF CROATIA DUE TO PROMOTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN EUROPEAN UNION

According to European Strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy, which guidelines are described in two documents: ‘’Green Paper: a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy’’ and ‘’White Paper: Energy for the Future: Renewable Sources of Energy’’, it is predicted that share of renewable energy resources in total energy balance will raise from present 6% up to 15% until 2015. Croatia, as candidate country for EU admittance, with growing dependency upon imported energy because of continuous depletion of own energy resources, prior oil and gas, needs to follow EU strategic aims to achieve diversification of energy sources and implement and promote renewable energy resources. This paper presents strategy of geothermal resources development in Republic of Croatia for the period of 2007-2030 in cascade and cogeneration principle of energy utilization. These projections of geothermal energy development are part of comprehensive Strategy of Mineral Resources Development which is made by Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering for Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship.