Adriatic Costal Zone Under Pressure of the New Croatian Energy Policy
Adriatic Costal Zone Under Pressure of the New Croatian Energy Policy

Summary/Abstract: The Croatian part of the Adriatic coastal belt and its hinterland are built of specific geomorphological material, karst. This is a highly sensitive system and basically marked by an extremely complex regime of peculiar karst circulation of water. 80% of Croatian capital is natural and only 20% man-made (anthropogenic). The particularly fast Croatian development, can use and even abuse natural capital without any concern for sustainability. Prevention of this type of development is possible with adequate laws and their enforcement. A list of legal provisions shows that they can guarantee sustainable development. The problems start with their implementation. The 1997 Strategy on Spatial Arrangement states that Croatia will direct its development by applying contemporary global principles of environmental protection. Adriatic coastal zone is proclaimed as a space of tourism which implies an increasing need for energy. Croatia is without a real energy strategy that would reflect the concept of sustainable development. A detailed description of a certain number of national energy programs is given to show that they are in their initial phase. The dominant role of HEP is easy to detect in the arena of Croatian energy policy. The provisions from 10 national energy programs aimed at sustainability have not been included in the scenarios regarding the construction of new plants by energents by 2010 and even less in the scenarios until 2030. The short-term strong influence of HEP is noticeable in their effort to impose two new coal-power plant in the Adriatic zone: Plomin II and Lukovo Šugorje – the region that is one of Croatia’s biggest natural assets. HEP policy represents a very heavy toll on the environment of the Adriatic zone, that might be heavier than this fragile karst area can bear.

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