Eni, OMV, Marathon Oil and Med Oil have filed bids in the first licensing round
forhydrocarbon exploration and production in Croatia's Adriatic Sea,
Zagreb-based media reported late on Tuesday, quoting multiple unnamed sources
close to the process.
Earlier on Tuesday, a day after Croatia's economy
ministry said it had received six bids in the offshore tender, Zagreb-based oil
and gas company INA confirmed for SeeNews that it too had
participated in the process.
Not accounting for the sixth,
as-of-yet-unidentified bidder, the tender does not seem to have drawn interest
from Russian, Middle Eastern or Asian companies, news daily Poslovni Dnevnik
reported, saying one U.S. company is also rumored to be in the bid
frame.
Also on Tuesday, Shell and Enel told SeeNews they did not take
part in the Croatian tender while ExxonMobil and Chevron declined to
comment.
The received six bids target a total of 15 from the 29 offshore
blocks on offer, the economy ministry said after the bidding deadline in the
tender, called in April, expired on Monday. It did not disclose any
names.
Theblocks 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.
The government's final decision on the selected
bidders could be expected by the end of 2014 while the signing of the relevant
contracts with them is seen in the first quarter of 2015.
INA's press
office told SeeNews in an email that the company "[..] conducted consultations
with a number of potential partners, but ultimately it was decided to submit a
stand-alone bid."
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 added.
On Monday,
Croatian news daily Vecernji List reported that a second offshore licensing
round is expected to be launched in March.
The offshore tender
-alongside an onshore oil and gas exploration tender that Croatia called in
July, participation in the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline project and the planned
construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Adriatic island of Krk,
is part of efforts to develop the country into a regional energy
hub.
According to the latest data available on the website of Croatia's
energy regulatory agency, HERA, a total of 26.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of
gas were delivered to the market in 2012 with domestic production contributing
15.8 billion kWh.