According to the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, Croatia produced 0.78 billion cubic metres of gas last year, which satisfied 30 percent of the domestic gas demand which amounts to 2.7 billion cubic metres.
With the production from new sources this year with an additional 285 million cubic metres of gas, total domestic production will exceed 1 billion cubic metres and will cover 40% of domestic demand.
The agency notes that the new production of hydrocarbons in Croatia will come from the Pannonian basin where exploration is currently being conducted by the INA oil company, Vermilion Zagreb Exploration and Aspect Croatia Kft. This is the result of exploration that the government and the companies agreed upon in 2016.
The Canadian Vermilion company is expected to start producing new quantities of natural gas in the next period from the exploitation fields in Berak and Cerić in eastern Slavonia with an estimated initial amount of 250,000 cubic metres a day from each well.
The agency also expects new reserves of gas discovered by INA with an estimated initial quantity of about 55,700 cubic metres a day. In addition, contracts are expected to be closed with Aspect Croatia Kft. and Vermilion Zagreb Exploration in fields in central Croatia and that they will be just as successful.
The agency added that there is still great potential in the northern Adriatic for several successful development wells that are expected to produce new quantities of gas for the domestic gas system. Last year in cooperation with the Edison company, INA drilled a well called “Irena 2 South” and discovered new gas reserves.
INA on Thursday reported that it has launched production of natural gas from its Ika B-1R DIR well and that it has been connected to the IKA B production platform. The well is located in the Ika gas field which is part of the northern Adriatic exploitation field. It has secured the entry of a new 150,000 cubic metres of natural gas a day for Croatia’s gas system, the Večernji List reported.
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