Preparations ongoing for geothermal drilling in Virovitica, Croatia
Virovitica, Croatia (source: T. Szabo / virovitica.hr)
Carlo Cariaga
10 Nov 2025
Exploration drilling for geothermal resources will start by January 2026 in Virovitica, Croatia, with potential use for heating across several buildings.
Construction work is now ongoing at the site of the planned drilling of a geothermal well in the city of Virovitica in Virovitica-Podravina County, Croatia. The drilling rig is scheduled to arrive by January 2026, after which drilling will commence.
The first geothermal project in Virovitica will be located the site of a former barracks area, for which the permit to extract geothermal water for energy purposes was granted to city company Poslovni park Virovitica doo. The site had been identified as having the favorable characteristics for geothermal exploitaiton, and its energy capacity will be validated by drilling and testing an exploratory well.
If successful, the plan is to utilize the heat from the well to heat all the buildings in the former barracks area, including the Polytechnic of Virovitica, the Student Dormitory, restaurants and cafes, a kindergarten and primary school that are both under construction, the Viroexpo hall, the State Archives, the Technology and Innovation Center, and the Public Fire Department among others. There are also plans to construct a Veterans Center and retirement home, as well as greenhouses, to maximize utilization of the geothermal resource.
As stated by Mayor Ivica Kirin, the geothermal resource has a potential temperature of 60 to 75 °C. If the results of the exploratory well are positive, there is a possibility of drilling additional wells for heat supply. “The use of geothermal sources represents an important step towards achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the share of renewable energy sources in Virovitica.”
The Virovitica-Podravina County has been identified as a potential flagship site for geothermal development in Croatia, as pointed out by Marijan Krpan of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency (AZU). In 2022, contracts were signed with consultancy firms to conduct geothermal exploration at several sites in the county, specifically in Slatina, Orahovica, and Nova Bukovica.
Source: Virovitica
