Croatia opens licensing round in Dinarides onshore area

Croatia has opened a licensing round for oil and gas exploration in its central and southern regions with the bid deadline being the 10^th September.

Licences are tentatively scheduled to be announced in December, a spokesman with the Croatia Hydrocarbon Agency (CHA) said.

CHA Pres. Marijan Krpan told the North American Prospect Expo in Houston on the 14^th February that Croatia recently enacted a hydrocarbon law to attract investors and ensure what he calls a smoother transition from exploration into production.

Since the 1940s, Croatia has produced more than 400 million boe, most of which has been natural gas. Mr Krpan said Croatia has produced more than 700 million bbl of oil.

Available exploration blocks in Croatia’s Dinarides thrust belt cover 12,134 square kilometres. Mr Krpan said some seismic surveys were shot in this area during the 1950s.

Meanwhile, Croatia has an ongoing bid round for the Pannonian basin which started in November 2018 with a bid deadline of the 28^th June 28. Awards are expected to be awarded in October.

The second round involves seven exploration blocks in the Pannonian basis, Mr Krpan said. “Total acreage available is 14,272 square kilometres.

The available blocks range in size from 1,361 to 2,634 square kilometres.”

He said at least 37 unevaluated wells exist in this area. The Pannonian basin is characterised by Palaeozoic to Mesozoic sedimentary deposits.

Previously, Croatia offered six onshore exploration blocks in its first onshore bid round, which it launched in July 2014.

That round covered the Pannonian sub-basins of Drava, Sava, and Eastern Slavonia. Croatia awarded a block to Croatia’s state-owned INA Group and four blocks to Canada’s Vermilion Energy Inc.

In Croatia, Vermillion’s holds 100% working interest in acreage covering nearly 2.35 million acres.

Source: Oil & Gas Journal