ZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia's state-run HEP has signed a deal with wind turbine maker Nordex <NDXG.DE> on Thursday for it to supply turbines for the power utility's first wind farm.
The deal includes the supply of 18 wind turbines for the 58 megawatt (MW) onshore wind farm Korlat, located near the town of Benkovac, as well as its maintenance for a period of 20 years.
The project would also be the first power plant in Croatia to generate electricity without incentives, Frane Barbaric, the president of HEP's management board, said in a statement, without disclosing the deal's value.
The wind farm will produce 170 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity a year, some 1.5% of Croatia's electricity demand.
HEP said earlier it aimed to boost renewable energy to 50% of its total capacity from the current 35%, investing 1 billion Croatian kuna (121 million pounds) a year on average until 2030.
Croatia, the European Union's youngest member, currently imports 40% of its electricity, around 60% of its gas and up to 80% of its oil.It has 4,500 MW of installed power generation capacity with HEP controlling 85% of the electricity market.
(Reporting by Maja Zuvela; editing by David Evans)
