North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency

The North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency  (REGEA) was established in 2008 by Zagreb County, Karlovac County, Krapina-Zagorje County and the City of Zagreb under the framework of the Intelligent Energy Europe programme. After a relatively modest start with 4 employees, by 2021, REGEA had grown to 35 employees with three regional offices and had increased its annual revenues twentyfold. 

REGEA’s main objective and role is promoting and encouraging regional sustainable development in the fields of energy and environmental protection through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures. 

Activities 

The scope of REGEA’s activities encompass: 

• Supporting local and regional authorities in implementing sustainable energy projects in all project phases; 

• Promoting and implementing best practices and case studies in regional energy management; 

• Promotion and implementation of the sustainable development concept; 

• Public awareness activities in the fields of energy and environmental protection; 

• Up-to-date information and advice regarding regional energy issues; 

• Advisory support for the implementation of regional energy plans and programs. 

Achievements 

Throughout its years of operations, REGEA has accumulated a number of achievements, including:  

• Over €150 million of total investment volume initiated in projects implemented together with local and regional authorities, including building retrofits, public lighting reconstruction and renewable energy installations; 

• Over 40 completed EU projects through various programs (IEE, H2020, INTERREG, IPA, and more), in addition to over 20 ongoing EU projects; 

• Coordination of the implementation of the first ELENA/EIB project in Croatia and key technical expert in the second: 

• Project NEWLIGHT (2017-2019), achieved over €20 million investment in public lighting reconstruction; 

• Project RePublEEc (2018-2021) aims to achieve over €50 million of investment in public lighting reconstruction in the City of Zagreb (City of Zagreb coordinator); 

• Preparation of over 60 strategic and planning documents on the local and regional level (SEAPs, SECAPs, energy efficiency programs and action plans for Croatian counties); 

• Preparation of strategic documents at the national level for various Croatian ministries (Long-term Renovation Strategy for Buildings (according to EPBD requirements), National Programme for Energy Retrofit of Culture and Heritage Buildings, National Programme for Energy Retrofit of Commercial Buildings, and more); 

• Participation in national working groups on the topic of preparation of operational programs for 2021-2027; 

• Coordination of the EIT Climate-KIC Hub for Croatia since 2020; 

• Significant number of awards and recognitions at the local, national and EU level (ManagEnergy, EUSEW, Energy Globe, and more); 

Network 

REGEA has been a member of FEDARENE since 2011. Starting in 2013, the Managing Director of REGEA, Dr Julije Domac, has been acting as President of FEDARENE and a EU Covenant of Mayors Board Member. Dr Julije Domac is also a Special Advisor to the President of Croatia for Energy and Climate, a role he began in 2020.