Krk - Cres
Island LinkOperationalHR136 MW110 kV7.46 km
Also known as:KB 110 kV Krk – Cres, Podmorski kabel 110 kV Krk – Cres, Krk–Cres 110 kV podmorski kabel, Krk_Cres 110 kV, DC1651AE1, DC1651AE100
Status:Operational
Capacity:136 MW
Project Company:
HOPS d.d.
Type:island link
Website:www.hops.hr
The Krk–Cres 110 kV submarine cable is a Croatian transmission project delivered by the national TSO (HOPS d.d.) to replace ageing 110 kV oil/paper submarine links supplying the northern Adriatic islands. The link connects the Krk landing at Mali Bok with the Cres landing at Merag and was renewed in...
Supply Chain (2)
Project Timeline (15)
17 Jun 2024Onss Commissioned
The Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Department for Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection (Krk office) issued a use permit for the completed 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) replacement submarine cable, an energy transmission infrastructure facility in the Croatian transmission system. The permit, granted on 17 June 2024 following an application by investor HOPS d.d., authorises the use of the constructed Krk–Cres cable asset across specified cadastral parcels between Mali Bok on Krk and the port area of Merag on Cres.
2 Apr 2024Cable Installation Complete
By 2 April 2024, installation of the new 110 kV submarine cable between Krk (Mali Bok) and Cres (Merag) was completed as part of a wider project for HOPS executed by Asso.subsea under contract to KONČAR. The completed scope comprised four 110 kV cable systems totaling about 30–30.5 km and reaching seabed depths of up to 70 m, with old cables on the Krk–Cres and other routes replaced by three 630 mm² XLPE submarine cables, contributing to the overall 42 km of new 110 kV island interconnection cables reported as delivered and installed for HOPS.
2 Apr 2024Cable Landfall Complete
By the time Asso.subsea announced project completion on 2 April 2024, landfall works for the Krk–Cres 110 kV submarine cable, including onshore pull‑in operations at sites such as Mali Bok and Merag, had been successfully executed. The contractor reports that demanding onshore pull‑ins and three consecutive cable landing activities, some involving HDD pipes and steep coastal slopes, were completed as part of the overall Krk–Cres–Lošinj and Brač–Hvar–Korčula cable replacement project for HOPS.
Feb 2024Offshore Construction Start
Offshore construction for the replacement of the 110 kV submarine cable between Krk (Mali Bok) and Cres (Merag) started in early February 2024, as part of the second stage of HOPS’s EU‑funded project to replace aging island interconnection cables. This phase, executed by KONČAR – Inženjering with the cable‑laying vessel Atalanti, covers nearly 30 km of new 110 kV links including the approximately 7.5 km Krk–Cres section, and by 21 February 2024 offshore works were actively under way and inspected on site by the Croatian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development.
Sept 2022Capital Support Awarded
In September 2022, Croatian transmission operator HOPS signed a financing contract under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) with EU NextGenerationEU funds, securing non‑refundable support for its multi‑asset project "Revitalizacija, izgradnja, digitalizacija i modernizacija hrvatske prijenosne elektroenergetske mreže". Within this, a key activity—replacement of 110 kV submarine cables linking the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj, Brač, Hvar and Korčula, including the Krk–Cres (Mali Bok–Merag) cable—was allocated a project budget of EUR 59.5 million to enhance long‑term security of electricity supply and support green energy integration on the islands.
€59.5M (grant)
25 Oct 2021Planning Consent Awarded
Authority: Primorsko-goranska županija, Upravni odjel za prostorno uređenje, graditeljstvo i zaštitu okoliša · Licence: Građevinska dozvola (building permit) for the 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) replacement submarine cable
On 25 October 2021, the spatial planning, construction and environmental protection department of Primorsko-goranska County issued a Građevinska dozvola (building permit) authorising the construction (laying) of the replacement 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) submarine cable on the specified cadastral parcels, for investor HOPS d.d.
2020Late Development Other
During 2020, Croatian transmission system operator HOPS initiated preparatory activities for a package of 11 investment schemes under the project "Revitalizacija, izgradnja, digitalizacija i modernizacija hrvatske prijenosne elektroenergetske mreže," financed via the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan. One of the key activities within this programme is the replacement of 110 kV submarine cables linking the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj, Brač, Hvar and Korčula, which includes the Krk–Cres (Mali Bok–Merag) interconnector.[2][49]
Jul 2017Regulatory Other
Licence: Submission of EIA screening request and environmental protection study (ocjena o potrebi procjene utjecaja zahvata na okoliš) for replacement of the 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) submarine cable
In July 2017, Hrvatski operator prijenosnog sustava (HOPS) submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy an environmental protection study and formal request for an environmental impact assessment screening ("Zahtjev za ocjenom o potrebi procjene utjecaja zahvata na okoliš") for the project "Zamjena podmorskog kabela 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) - Cres (Merag)", covering the replacement of the existing 110 kV submarine cable between KS Mali Bok on Krk and KS Merag on Cres.
15 Feb 2017Eia Submitted
Licence: Zahtjev za ocjenom o potrebi procjene utjecaja
On 15 February 2017, an application titled "Zahtjev za ocjenom o potrebi procjene utjecaja" was submitted for the 110 kV submarine cable Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag), together with an environmental protection study describing the replacement of the existing cable with a new XLPE-insulated 110 kV cable along the existing route. The filing, recorded under class number 351-03/16-04/1522 and reference 517-06-2-1-2-17-4, sought a determination under the Croatian EIA Regulation that the project falls under item 2.6 "Transmission of electricity by lines of 110 kV and higher within the transmission network" and is thus subject to the environmental impact assessment screening procedure.
13 Dec 2016Other Permit Awarded
Licence: Decision on ecological network (Natura 2000) acceptability for the 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) cable replacement, waiving the need for a Main Appropriate Assessment
On 13 December 2016, the Department for Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of Primorsko-Goranska County issued a decision declaring the planned replacement of the 110 kV Krk (Mali Bok) – Cres (Merag) submarine cable acceptable for the Natura 2000 ecological network and stating that no Main Appropriate Assessment (Glavna ocjena zahvata) was required.