Dispatch from Croatia | September ‘25

***Our weekly Dispatches provide an overview of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments for the shift to climate neutrality in selected European countries, from policy and diplomacy to society and industry. For a bird's-eye view of the country's climate-friendly transition, read the respective 'Guide to'.***

• New nuclear ambitions – Croatia would like to build its own nuclear power plant, on top of its preliminary agreement with Slovenia on the construction of a second reactor at the shared Krško nuclear power plant, according to recent statements by economy minister Ante Šušnjar.  The ministry plans to conduct in-depth analyses at the proposed locations for the new nuclear power plant; possible sites include the existing Plomin thermal power plant (in northwestern Croatia), Erdut (in eastern Croatia), and sites near Ivanić Grad (in central Croatia). During preparations for a "Nuclear Energy Act", the economy ministry had said earlier this year that Croatia wanted to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), but commissioning is set to take more than ten years.
• Illegal dump cleanup –Croatia has taken action to stop environmental damage from illegal waste dumps, which are an important source of the potent greenhouse gas methane. The project targeting sites in Samobor, west of the capital Zagreb, and Pazin in the country’s north, is being implemented by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund in cooperation with the environment ministry. Minister Marija Vučković stated that the government will not tolerate illegal waste disposal and that other sites will also be systematically addressed. The first phase, involving the development of remediation plans, is now underway.

• Rapid deep-water warming – Changes in the temperature and salinity of the deep waters of the Adriatic Sea, which climate projections predicted would occur by the end of the century, are happening today, with serious consequences for ecosystems, the climate, and coastal communities. Scientists from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, analysing data from the South Adriatic Pit, recorded a temperature increase of 0.8°C and a salinity increase at a depth of 1,000 metres over the past decade – a rate of change several times faster than previous projections. Researchers warn that current climate models are likely underestimating the speed of these changes in enclosed marine basins such as the Mediterranean.