INA begins test production in Vuckovec and Zebanec gas fields in Croatia

MOL’s subsidiary INA has begun its test production in its Vuckovec and Zebanec gas fields in Croatia after making a HRK450m ($64m) investment programme in the Medimurje project.

Production at the third field, Vukanovec, is expected to begin early next year.

Incremental production, which is estimated to be around 2m barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) on average, is expected to further increase next year.

Following the investment, INA drilled five production wells and equipped them along with a total of 100km of new pipeline.

Cumulative yield of gas is estimated to be around one billion cubic metres and the vast majority is planned to be exploited by 2024.

MOL Group E&P COO Dr Berislav Gašo said: “The Medimurje project, along with our comprehensive production optimisation programme in CEE, is yet another important part of MOL Group’s efforts to maximise the extraction of profitable barrels of hydrocarbons, which helps to ensure that our portfolio is creating value even in the current oil price environment.

“The expected incremental production of around 2,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day will keep onshore hydrocarbon production in Croatia on its growing trend.”

The objective of test production is to see that the carbon dioxide being extracted from the fields in the Medimurje project will be transported to the Žutica and Ivanic oil basins through the pipeline.

Later on, it will be re-injected into the ground in the frame of INA’s ongoing enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project, which is aimed at extracting additional hydrocarbon quantities on the Žutica and Ivanic exploitation fields.

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Image: INA’s Medimurje project. Photo: courtesy of INA.