Croatia Gets Only 1 Bid in 2nd Licensing Round
Croatia has reported receiving only a single bid in a licensing round for frontier oil and gas acreage, marking a setback in the country’s efforts to spur exploration of new areas.
The deadline for applications in a tender offering four exploration blocks spanning more than 12,000 km2 of Croatia’s relatively unexplored southern Dinarides region passed on September 10, state hydrocarbon agency AZU said in a statement. Only one offer was received from an unidentified operator, it said.
AZU will now evaluate the bid and work with the Croatian government to decide on whether an exploration and production permit should be awarded. The process should be completed by early 2020.
Croatia staged two tenders for oil and gas drilling rights this year – one for acreage in the Dinarides area and another for access to land in the more developed northern Pannonian basin. The Pannonian contest was more successful, with the government recently awarding six of the seven blocks offered in the round to foreign and local investors.