Gazprom Neft interested in exploration & production tenders in Croatia
MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Gazprom Neft has informed the Croatian authorities of its intention to participate in tenders for geological survey and oil and gas production at the Pannonian Basin and on the Adriatic Sea shelf, a Russian Energy Ministry source told Interfax.
Gazprom Neft has already commenced preparations to register a subsidiary in Croatia to participate in these tenders.
Both depleted fields and new sections could be put up for sale, with tenders possibly being announced in the near future, the source said.
The Russian company also has plans to create its own filling station chain in Croatia under the Gazprom brand. In order to develop a system for petroleum product sales, Gazprom Neft's Serbian subdivision NIS intends to establish its own subsidiary.
Besides that, Gazprom Neft is mulling over participation in the construction and management of power generating facilities in Croatia, including with the use of renewable energy resources.
A representative of Serbian company NIS, which is controlled by Gazprom Neft and develops its own activities in the Balkans through the Russian company, told Interfax that Croatia is among the priority countries for the Serbian company's geographical diversification.
"We are studying all of the possibilities to develop our business in that country - that includes both production and energy and petroleum product sales and logistics. At the moment we are actively engaged in studying the market and searching for new business opportunities. With regards to tenders to explore at oil- and gas-bearing sections on Croatian territory, which the government of that country has just announced, NIS is analyzing the feasibility of participation," the NIS representative said.
Another Russian state-owned company, Zarubezhneft, has also shown interest in participating in a tender for geological survey and production at nine sections in Croatia, including on the Adriatic shelf. Together with Croatian company JANAF and Swiss company White Falcon, Zarubezhneft has already established the joint venture Zarubezhneft Adria to participate in these tenders.
According to the source, Zarubezhneft is still interested in these tenders and said so at a meeting of the Russian-Croatian Intergovernmental Commission.
Zarubezhneft is already working together with JANAF in Croatia to build and partially modernize the Slavonski Brod - Bosanski Brod petroleum products pipeline.
Croatian company INA has already conducted work at several of the aforementioned sections and is the key contender for them.