Zagreb-based oil and gas company INA, said on Tuesday it has filed
a bid in the first licensing round for the exploration and production of
hydrocarbons in Croatia's Adriatic Sea.
The bidding deadline in the
tender, launched in April, expired on Monday. The 29 blocks in Croatia's
continental shelf that were on offer cover approximately 36,823 square
kilometres (sq km), ranging in size between 1,000 and 1,600 sq km
each.
On Monday, Croatia's economy ministry said it had received six bids
in the tender, targeting a total of 15 blocks. It did not disclose any
names.
"The company conducted consultations with a number of potential
partners, but ultimately it was decided to submit a stand-alone bid," INA's
press office said in an emailed response to a SeeNews inquiry.
As a
company with vast experience in exploration and production activities in the
region, INA remains open to potential partnerships in case of exploration
opportunities, the company said.
On Monday, news daily Vecernji List
reported, quoting unnamed sources close to some of the biggest oil majors, that
alongside INA, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total, Enel and some other U.S. companies
were also in the bid frame in the offshore tender.