Ascent Starts Commercial Gas Production in Slovenia

UK-based explorer Ascent Resources said April 13 it had started commercial gas production from Pg-10 well at its Petisovci field in Slovenia. It has been involved there for almost a decade and invested with partners some €45mn. Ascent is operator, alongside Slovenian state Geoenergo.

Ascent said that bringing Pg-10 into production is a first step in its phase one development plan and that next it will recomplete Pg-11A later this month, followed by the start of gas export sales to Croatia. Equipment required to facilitate production and export to Croatia’s INA has been ordered, said Ascent, and subject to timely delivery is planned to start supplying INA by end-June 2017.

Ascent's Petisovci field in Slovenia (Map credit: the company)

Ascent signed a sales agreement with INA in August 2016; first exports were originally due to start 1Q2017. The Petisovic field is about 5km from the border with Croatia. Details are sketchy on its sales deal to INA, but the Croatian subsidiary of Hungarian firm Mol is understood to have agreed to offtake whatever Ascent can produce. Volumes will be small: a flow test of  Pg10 in January 2017 produced 8.8mn ft³/d. Latest production levels from Pg-10 were not disclosed.

After a favourable decision from Slovenia’s environment ministry last month, Ascent is optimistic that a necessary ‘IPPC’ permit will be declared finally valid later this year that will enable it and its partners to begin producing gas into the Slovenian grid, enabling it to scale up the project further.

Mark Smedley