ZAGREB, September 10, 2019 - The Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency (CHA) has received one bid for a tender to issue licences for the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in the area called Dinarides, the agency stated on Tuesday.
The call for bids was advertised on February 8 and closed at midday today and a deadline for licence issuance expires this December.
"We are satisfied because a bid has been made and this tender has ended successfully and we should not forget the fact that this is still an unexplored territory. We are also satisfied that all the tenders for onshore areas of Croatia have passed well," the agency told Hina after the bid was opened.
The agency will examine the bid to ensure that it meets all the tender requirements.
In January the government decided to launch procurement procedures for the issuance of licences for exploration and exploitation in the Dinaric Alps in an area of 12,134 square kilometres and for a period of five years. The bid excluded areas of national parks and off the coast and along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"In the area of the Dinarides, approximately 545.98 km of 2D seismic data has been recorded. Exploration of the area of Dinarides, encouraged by the appearance of petroleum outcrops and bituminous rocks, commenced in the 1950s. Comprehensive and significant geological mapping and geochemical research were performed for the purpose of evaluating hydrocarbon potential of the region," CHA said on its website when the call for bids was advertised.
The exploration in the Dinarides is aimed at reducing the fall in gas and oil production in Croatia, the government said then.
More news about oil and gas exploration in Croatia can be found in the Business section.
