History of Gas Transmission Activity in Croatia

The construction of the first main gas pipeline from Janja Lipa to Zagreb started in 1954; it was 150 mm in diameter, 98 km long, and it was completed in 1959. However, its first section from Zagreb to Ivanić Grad was completed by the end of 1955. Therefore, in December that year the start of supply of Zagreb marked the beginning of utilisation of natural gas as an energy source.

In 1956, from Kloštar to Zagreb approximately 18 million cubic metres of gas were transported, at pressure of 5 to 6 bar.

This year was therefore taken as the start of the gas transmission activity in Croatia.

The discovery and production start-up of the gas field Okoli in 1963 was a turning point in the technology of natural gas production, preparation and transmission.

The gas transmission system was upgraded from an operating pressure of 25 bar to 50 bar, creating the preconditions to increase both natural gas production and the quality of its economic and energy evaluation.

Fifteen years later, in 1978, the international gas pipeline connection Rogatec−Zagreb was put into operation, connecting the gas transmission systems of Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, and thus providing natural gas import into Croatia.

In the recent history of gas transmission, exceptional results were achieved in 2006 when 480 kilometres of new pipelines were completely constructed and put into operation. A special place among them holds the main gas pipeline Pula−Karlovac, 191 kilometres long, constructed and put into operation in less than nine months.