VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Mirko Tunjić

Guest Mirko TunjićHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026

Mirko Tunjić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The real challenge in building wind farms, Mirko Tunjić observes, isn't taming the wind itself — that's a solved technological problem. The struggle is with the administration, a maze of permits, approvals, and a market framework that still lacks stability. Tunjić has spent decades navigating this landscape, first with Croatia's pioneer wind farm, Jelina, and now leading Circular Energy Resources. His perspective comes from the front lines of green energy development, witnessing the shift from initial skepticism to nearly 900 megawatts of installed wind capacity operating "perfectly" today. Yet, he argues, Croatia still "lacks the courage" to fully embrace renewables, with declarations often outpacing practical implementation. This conversation unearths the hidden friction points in transitioning to green energy, revealing how deeply entrenched attitudes and slow-moving bureaucracy can overshadow even the most advanced technology. You'll walk away considering whether the biggest hurdles to a sustainable future are truly technical, or simply human.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

It took ten years of "arduous work" to develop and permit the Jelina wind farm, from 2002 to 2012, before construction could even begin. Long-term commitment, not quick returns, is the true cost of pioneering new energy infrastructure in complex regulatory environments.

Tunjić notes that while wind technology is easily tamed, administration remains "very difficult." Technological advancements in renewables often outpace the administrative and market frameworks needed to support them.

The shift from 2006, when high-ranking energy officials dismissed renewables as "a children's game," to today's 900 MW installed capacity operating "perfectly" on Croatia's grid. The true limits of a new technology are often revealed by its operational success, not by initial expert projections or institutional skepticism.

Croatia's significant share of hydroelectric power plants serves as an "excellent regulator of grid stability." Existing stable energy sources can become an unexpected strategic advantage for integrating intermittent renewables, provided the system is designed to use them.

The common underestimation of wind power as merely "intermittent energy" overlooks its capacity to significantly stabilize the grid and lower electricity prices, as has been seen in Spain. The value of intermittent energy sources isn't just in raw output, but in their system-wide effects.

The "huge opportunity" of offshore wind farms lies in their ability to host turbines two to three times larger than onshore due to fewer spatial and environmental limitations. When constrained by existing infrastructure or population density, moving operations to less conventional environments can dramatically scale potential.

The heavily trafficked Mediterranean, with its developed fishing and coastal life, contrasts with the Northern European seas, which allow for easier "occupation of large areas" for offshore wind. Geographic and cultural realities, not just technical feasibility, often dictate where large-scale infrastructure projects can realistically be deployed.

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