Resalta enters thermal energy outsourcing partnership with Zagreb International Airport

The energy outsourcing partnership signed with Resalta will allow the client, MZLZ d.d. (Međunarodna Zračna Luka Zagreb, the management company that operates the airport) to focus on its core business and improving passenger experience without having to worry about energy supply for the next two decades. Under the terms of the contract, Resalta sells thermal energy to the airport, provides all operations and maintenance services as well as 24/7 customer service and is equipped to expand thermal capacity as the client’s consumption increases to match the growth of its business.

said Mr. Huseyin Bahadir Behir, CEO of Zagreb International Airport.  

To begin with, Resalta has implemented a complete renovation of the airport’s largest boiler room. Resalta removed three of the existing small 2.3 MW boilers and installed two new boilers of 4.2 MW each, with combined natural gas-fuel oil burners, alongside 1 new 6 MW gas and oil burner. One of the old boilers was retained as a contingency solution for periods of peak demand. Moreover, Resalta is providing a new boiler safety and regulation system, as well as all the associated installations, and has fully renovated the boiler room housing the new equipment.

Besides providing project design and implementation, Resalta has also provided 100% of financing for this energy renovation project. Under the terms of the contract, Resalta retains ownership of the new equipment in the heating system and the boiler room, selling the produced heat to the Zagreb International Airport operator, MZLZ. In order to do so, Resalta has also taken over a team of seven on site staff who provide constant technical support and maintenance of the asset to ensure perfect functioning and adequate supply at all times. The twenty-year energy supply contract covers equipment warranties and all associated guarantees, as well as regular servicing and intervention maintenance over the entire heat distribution network.

The advantage of energy outsourcing is that the partner, Resalta, takes on all the risks (related to design, financing, project implementation, equipment installation, performance and maintenance) and full responsibility for providing heating to every segment of the airport, from passenger lounges to air control towers and other facilities within the complex. By outsourcing such a complicated energy supply system, the client no longer has to handle maintenance, subcontractors, insurance companies or other third parties but has streamlined its processes, leaving everything up to Resalta’s expertise. The client’s only obligation is a monthly payment for energy consumption.

The new system was carefully elaborated after thorough measurements and modelling of real heat consumption within all airport facilities. The system also allows for adding new boilers to meet the growing demand that is expected as the airport receives an increasing number of passengers each year. Furthermore, while natural gas is the energy source, all the boilers are nevertheless combined natural gas and crude oil boilers. This ensures that the airport’s heating systems can continue to function even in the event of a shortage of natural gas supply. Resalta as a reliable and trusted energy services expert is fully prepared to meet the challenges of Zagreb International Airport’s growth over the next twenty years. 

Denis Nikola Kulišić, director of Resalta Croatia and head of ESCO services for the Resalta group, said:

Resalta is the leading independent energy services provider in SEE and has realized over 180 projects for over 120 clients. A dynamic, fast-growing company, Resalta works with both public and private clients to finance, design and implement projects that reduce energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions and promote sustainability while generating cost savings. Besides being present in Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, Resalta has expanded to the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland as well, offering the same impeccable quality of service throughout Central and Southeastern Europe.