Croatia's electricity system reached a defining moment last year, with biomass and biogas facilities playing a crucial role alongside solar and wind power to deliver a landmark shift in the nation's energy landscape, according to provisional data from the Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia association (OIEH).
For the first time, solar power plants, wind farms, and biomass and biogas facilities together generated more than 5 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity, accounting for 26.6% of Croatia's total electricity consumption.
This collective output surpassed every other individual generation technology, marking a historic milestone for the country's energy transition.
The achievement represents a significant breakthrough for bioenergy in particular, as biomass and biogas plants demonstrated their capacity to provide stable, dispatchable renewable generation that complements the variable output from solar and wind installations.
According to OIEH's quarterly data, thermal power plants using renewable sources - biomass and biogas - showed consistent growth throughout the year, with second quarter figures indicating a 5.5% increase compared to the previous year.
When hydropower is included in the renewable energy total, renewables supplied 52.6% of all electricity consumed in Croatia during 2025.
Total electricity consumption reached 19,326 gigawatt hours (GWh), exceeding 19 TWh for the first time.
Consumption rose by 1.01% compared to 2024, marking the third consecutive year of growth.
The increase has largely been matched by new renewable capacity, indicating that most new projects are currently meeting rising demand rather than replacing fossil fuel generation.
"Renewables are no longer an addition to the system - they are its foundation," said OIEH Director Maja Pokrovac.
She added that continued consumption growth and reliance on imports highlight the need for faster development of new capacity and further grid modernisation.
Hydropower remained the single largest generation technology in isolation, producing 5,022 GWh, or 26% of total consumption.
However, output fell by 18.4% year-on-year due to unfavourable hydrological conditions, underlining the growing impact of climate variability on water-dependent generation.
In contrast, wind, solar, biomass and biogas together generated a record 5,142 GWh, overtaking hydropower on an annual basis for the first time.
The biomass and biogas contribution proved particularly valuable during periods when both wind and solar output declined, providing the system with essential flexibility and reliability that helps stabilise Croatia's electricity grid.
Despite this historic achievement, Croatia still imported 3,137 GWh of electricity, or 16.2% of consumption, mainly from Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Imports were recorded in 10 out of 12 months, highlighting the ongoing challenges in achieving energy self-sufficiency.
Wind and solar production showed strong seasonal complementarity, with biomass and biogas filling critical gaps throughout the year.
Wind power enabled electricity exports during several days in December, whilst solar output surged during summer months when wind and hydropower were weaker.
Biomass and biogas facilities provided consistent generation year-round, offering system operators valuable dispatchable capacity that can be ramped up or down as needed.
The rise of bioenergy, solar and wind has coincided with a dramatic decline in fossil fuel generation.
During the second quarter of 2025, electricity production from thermal power plants using fossil fuels fell by 51.6% compared to the same period in 2024, due to the Plomin thermal power plant remaining non-operational and the economic unviability of gas-fired generation.
Croatia’s renewable energy sector makes historic leap
