Interview: Partnership with Chinese powers success at Croatia's largest wind farm

Employees of China's Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco International) work at the control room of the Senj Wind Farm in Croatia, on Dec. 6, 2024. Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Senj Wind Farm, built by the Norinco International. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

SENJ, Croatia, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese have proven to be "a very reliable, high-quality partner," with cooperation on Croatia's largest wind farm deemed "very successful," according to Ante Tojcic, director of Croatia's Fractal Company.

Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Senj Wind Farm, built by China's Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco International). Fractal, an engineering company based in Split, the second-largest city in Croatia, has been maintaining it since its operation began.

"We have years of successful cooperation behind us, and I can only praise the Chinese company's leadership and the efforts they have made to successfully implement the project," Tojcic said.

He noted that compared to other Asian companies he had worked with, "the Chinese partners have proved to be very professional, and we are really satisfied with the cooperation."

Though language barriers posed challenges initially, Tojcic highlighted the "full trust" of the Chinese team as key to their success. "This is very important for doing the job," he said.

The collaboration has also been financially rewarding for Fractal, which holds a five-year contract with Norinco International worth 2.5 million euros (2.64 million U.S. dollars), set to run until 2028.

Tojcic added that the partnership's value extends further, with Norinco International expanding operations to neighboring countries, increasing opportunities for Fractal.

In addition to meeting European Union safety and environmental standards, Tojcic praised the wind farm's job creation, noting over 40 Croatian contractors participated in the project, with over half of the 500 daily workers during peak construction coming from Croatia.

Currently, 32 Croatian employees work in the Senj and Zagreb offices of Norinco International, outnumbering their Chinese counterparts.

"The local community has benefited greatly," Tojcic said. The wind farm produces 530 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually, easing energy shortages and reducing Croatia's carbon dioxide emissions by about 460,000 tons per year.

Located on Croatia's Adriatic coast, the Senj Wind Farm symbolizes the strong potential for future China-Croatia collaboration. "I foresee a successful development of relations between the two countries," Tojcic said.

An engineer of China's Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco International) works at the control room of the Senj Wind Farm in Croatia, on Dec. 6, 2024. Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Senj Wind Farm, built by the Norinco International. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

Engineers of China's Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco International) check the power grid of the Senj Wind Farm in Croatia, on Dec. 6, 2024. Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Senj Wind Farm, built by the Norinco International. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)