| Title | Geothermal Energy Research and Use - Country Update for Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|---|---|
| Authors | Natalija Samardži?, Hazim Hrvatovi?, Ferid Skopljak |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Bosnia and Herzegovina, geothermal energy, direct use, GSHP, production of electricity, oil and gas exploration |
| Abstract | More recently, it is evident a growing interest of local communities in the use of geothermal energy for heating purposes. The reasons for that lie most often in the fact that many cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have a problem with air pollution, which is especially present in cities where there are thermal power plants and larger industrial plants. Energy transition and higher energy production with lower CO2 emissions are being gradually implemented, so in this context, geothermal energy gets a more significant importance in strategic documents of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Oil and gas are also being explored as more environmentally friendly energy sources compared to coal. Oil and gas exploration has been conducted in the Republic of Srpska from 2012 until now; in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina legislation is adopted and staff who will be engaged in the exploration projects are trained. In the period 2020-2022, the direct use of geothermal energy remained at approximately the same level as in the previous reporting period. It is significant that two geothermal energy research projects of local communities that financially supported by the Environmental Protection Fund of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been launched: 1) District heating project from geothermal springs Ilidža (Sarajevo) and 2) Geothermal energy use study in Domaljevac-Šamac Municipality. A new spa-recreational center Terme Ozren in the municipality of Petrovo was built and put into operation, whose work is based on the use of thermomineral CO2 waters of Kakmuž with temperature of 37 °C. During the COVID-19 pandemic (in 2020 and in the first half of 2021), the spas had fewer visitors, and some of them were used as isolation centers for the infected peoples (Gata, Ilidža-Gradačac) in short time. The outdoor recreational pool Toplica Lepenica did not work in 2020 due to the pandemic. Foreign investors are increasingly interested in the possibilities of using geothermal energy for the purpose development of spa tourism, agriculture (greenhouses) and even for the production of electricity from geothermal sources, but there are still no concrete projects and investment. Also, it is evident growth in installation of heat pumps which are increasingly being applied due to the available supporting mechanisms for renewable energy sources and energy efficiency but any institution in the state not provide data on the number of installed units. Bosnia and Herzegovina is traditionally based on coal in the production of electricity and heat, and as now predicted this type of energy will be used less in the future, so it is increasingly encouraging and forcing the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, especially wind farms, solar and mini hydro power plants. In 2021, a total of 17,055.44 GWh of electricity was produced of which 7,214.48 GWh or 42.3 % was from renewable sources. In BiH, electricity is not generated from geothermal sources, nor is it foreseen by the current state energy strategies and plans. However, the northern region of Bosnia (Posavina, Semberija) is considered as having the potential for finding geothermal sources for electricity generation (120°C or higher) or installing such plants, which may use water with temperature of 96°C (Domaljevac) for electric power generation. |