The beginning of 2026 has been marked by the addition of three new members to the Energy Communities Forum in Croatia: the Sava Energy Community, the Istrian Regional Energy Agency (IRENA), and ODRAZ – Sustainable community development.
The Sava Energy Community was established in August 2025 by the Local Action Group (LAG) SAVA, the Municipality of Pušća, the City of Sveta Nedelja, and the municipalities of Marija Gorica and Luka. In December, the municipalities of Brdovec, Dubravica, and Klinča Sela also joined. What makes this energy community unique is that it consists exclusively of local government units—municipalities and cities within Zagreb County.
The Sava Energy Community operates as an association and functions as a renewable energy community with the goal of producing and sharing electricity from renewable sources among its members and the local community. This model enables communities and citizens to actively participate in the energy transition, reduce energy costs, and increase energy independence. The head of the Sava Energy Community is Maja Čičko, who also represents LAG SAVA, while Filip Bernardić, Mayor of the Municipality of Pušća, serves as its president. The Sava Energy Community currently has eight members.
The Istrian Regional Energy Agency (IRENA) is an active partner in the Interreg Danube Region project NRGCOM, titled: “Creating the Appropriate Operational Conditions for Renewable Energy Communities in the Danube Region.” Through its expertise and experience, IRENA contributes to the development and implementation of activities aimed at strengthening energy communities in Croatia and across the wider Danube Region. It is particularly involved in awareness-raising activities, motivational programmes, and work with local communities, as well as in developing methodological and policy-oriented tools that facilitate the establishment and functioning of energy communities.
ODRAZ – Sustainable community development is the coordinator of the “NetZeroCities” support project for cities. The goal of this project is to strengthen cooperation among cities in Croatia, enhance their capacity to achieve climate neutrality, and support the establishment of a national platform to accelerate the transition towards climate neutrality by 2030. The project focuses on fostering knowledge exchange, developing practical skills, and improving multi-level governance for sustainable urban transformation.
Through their projects, IRENA and ODRAZ will support the work and objectives of the Forum, share practical experience from energy communities and related initiatives, and strengthen the capacities of local governments to take a more active role in supporting energy communities.
The Energy Communities Forum in Croatia now consists of twenty members and continues its work and advocacy towards creating an enabling environment for the development of energy communities. The ultimate goal of all Forum members is to enable Croatian citizens to have direct ownership and decision-making power over the production of their own energy, as well as active participation in the energy market through energy communities—rights guaranteed to all EU citizens under the Renewable Energy Directive of 2021.
This text was produced as part of project activities with financial support from the European Climate Foundation (ECF), EU-LifeCOMET, and the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).
The EU-LifeCOMET project is funded under grant agreement No. 101120519 through the LIFE Programme, the EU’s funding instrument for environment, nature, and climate action, and is co-financed by the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The views and opinions expressed at this event are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), or the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
