Fast Facts
| Trading Licence | Electricity trading is licensed by HERA for 1 to 15 years |
| Exchange-only Exemption | EU traders operating exclusively through the exchange need no HERA trading licence, but remain subject to general rules on foreign companies in Croatia |
| Application Fee | EUR 995.42 |
| Processing Time | 30 days from complete application, 60 days where inspection is needed |
| Market Size | Consumption around 19 TWh; net imports cover about a quarter |
| CROPEX Volume | Day-ahead market volume reached 10.1 TWh |
Croatia Power Market Fundamentals
Croatia's competitive generation, supply and trading activities are separated from regulated network activities. HERA is the energy regulatory authority, HOPS is the sole TSO, HEP-ODS is the sole DSO, and HROTE is the market operator.
Wholesale trading occurs through two channels: bilateral OTC trading and the organised exchange, CROPEX, whose day-ahead and intraday markets are coupled with Slovenia and Hungary.
Available generation capacity is around 5.7 GW, led by hydro and thermal, with wind and solar rising fast. Croatia also draws on the Krško nuclear plant in Slovenia. Renewables, led by hydro and wind, supply over half of electricity consumption and continue to rise.
Croatia is a net importer, drawing from Slovenia and Hungary, while exporting to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
When Is a Licence Required in Croatia's Power Market?
Electricity trading is a licensed activity: HERA issues licences to legal or natural persons for 1 to 15 years.
A trading licence covers wholesale buying and selling; supply to end consumers is a separate licensed activity. Both are nationwide.
EU traders operating exclusively through the exchange need no HERA trading licence, though general rules on the operation of foreign companies in Croatia still apply.
Applications are filed in person or by post to HERA, in Croatian; there is no electronic filing option yet. The fee is EUR 995.42, with processing taking 30 days from a complete application, or 60 days where an inspection is needed.
Besides the licence, participants must also register in CEREMP under REMIT, obtain an EIC code from HOPS, arrange balance responsibility, and sign a Market Participation Agreement with HROTE.
What Are Croatia's Power Market Licence Requirements for EU and Non-EU Entities?
Traders already registered for electricity trading in an EU Member State may use a simplified (passporting) procedure: submitting the ZDOED-II form, certified proof of home-state registration, a responsible-person statement, and a bank guarantee or deposit of EUR 2,654.46. HERA confirms the trader's activity against the EU register of market participants.
Applicants that cannot rely on the simplified EU procedure, including non-EU traders, must be registered in Croatia for the electricity trading activity and satisfy the full technical, professional and financial qualification requirements.
Balancing in the Croatia Power Market
HOPS operates balancing under the Rules for Balancing the Power System, adopted under the EU Electricity Balancing Guideline and approved by HERA.
Participants use a self-dispatch model, setting their own generation and consumption schedules, and each must belong to exactly one balancing group. The Balance Group Manager must match the contracted position to physical realisation in each 15-minute interval.
HROTE calculates each BRP's imbalance at a single price, applied equally to positive and negative deviations, and settled monthly.
HOPS holds FCR, aFRR and mFRR reserves, procured through market-based tenders. HOPS uses the IGCC netting platform and is preparing to join MARI and PICASSO.
Transmission Capacity in the Croatia Power Market
HOPS owns and operates the entire high-voltage transmission network and grants regulated third-party access, under Directive (EU) 2019/944, beginning with a Network Use Agreement with HOPS, or with HEP-ODS for distribution.
Connection thresholds determine which network applies: at or above 20 MW always connects to transmission; below 10 MW to distribution; at or above 10 MW but below 20 MW connects to transmission unless HOPS and HEP-ODS jointly determine that distribution connection is justified.
Cross-border capacity on the Slovenian and Hungarian borders is allocated implicitly through market coupling with CROPEX. Serbia and long-term Slovenian/Hungarian capacity use JAO, while Bosnia and Herzegovina uses SEE CAO.
HOPS forms the LFC Block with the Slovenian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian TSOs.
Croatia Power Market Exchange(s)
CROPEX is Croatia's only organised wholesale electricity market and designated NEMO since 2015, jointly owned by HROTE and HOPS.
The day-ahead market is a marginal-pricing auction closing daily at 12:00 CET, coupled EU-wide through SDAC, with bids submitted for each of the 96 fifteen-minute periods of the delivery day.
The intraday market uses continuous trading coupled through SIDC, with 15-minute products and three daily intraday auctions.
The exchange has over 30 active members on the day-ahead market, over 20 on continuous intraday, and over 15 on intraday auctions.
Croatian power derivatives are listed on EEX and settled against the CROPEX day-ahead price. CROPEX also runs auctions for Guarantees of Origin.
5 Market Entry Steps for Croatia Power Market
- 01Obtain the HERA electricity trading licence unless the CROPEX-only exemption applies.
- 02Register as market participant with VAT number, CEREMP/REMIT and an EIC code from HOPS.
- 03Arrange balance responsibility with HOPS or join an existing balancing group.
- 04Sign the Electricity Market Participation Agreement with HROTE and post security.
- 05Secure cross-border capacity for trades outside coupled markets.
- Post-Market Entry Reporting Obligations.
CorreggioNET, Croatia Power Market Access Report
Market Access Reports: CorreggioNET offers Pre-Market Entry Reports (PMER) as part of the PMER Library, providing firms with an A-to-Z guide for market entry.
CorreggioNET Alert Service: helps you never miss a reporting obligation. Note that Croatia has multiple power market reporting obligations across HERA, HROTE, HOPS, CROPEX, the Customs Office, the Ministry of Economy and the State Office for Statistics.
CorreggioNET Hotline: For your time-sensitive queries, the Regulatory Hotline Service provides direct support through an online interaction with a qualified regulatory specialist.
Consulting Solutions: For those firms which require additional assistance, Correggio Consulting is on hand to assist with all your licensing needs:
- Market entry and licensing in Croatia;
- HERA licence application, including the EU simplified procedure;
- HOPS BRP onboarding and HROTE market participation;
- CROPEX exchange onboarding;
- Corporate structuring;
- EFET contract negotiation;
- Yearly compliance audits.
Market Info
Stay Compliant After Market Entry
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