STA, 13 December 2018 - Natural gas will be a major part of energy supply in Slovenia in the future and domestic production would greatly increase the reliability of supply, heard participants of a Thursday's event dedicated to energy.
Noting that natural gas plays a generally positive role in the EU's energy transition to meet climate goals, Jurij Vertačnik of the Ministry of Infrastructure said that establishing competitive domestic production would be positive for the country, which currently relies almost exclusively on gas imports.
It is however true that the required infrastructure will have to be adapted for other energy sources in the future, which entails certain technical as well as regulatory challenges, he acknowledged.
Petišovci gas well a missed opportunity
There is a gas well at the Petišovci field in the north-east of the country, but its potential is not utilised, said Miha Valentinčič, the head of Geoenergo, the Slovenian partner of UK's Ascent Resources which is exploring the gas field.
According to him, there has been a lot of intentional deception with regards to the project since 2011 that has slowed down the project.
"We're trying to conclude as soon as possible the procedures that are under way, including obtaining the necessary permits to maintain current production and to connect to the Slovenian network," he said.
Part of the gas pumped out at the Petišovci field is sold to local industrial partners and the rest to Croatian energy company INA, which built a connection to the nearby Zebanec gas field last year.
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The UK firm has been trying to get the permits for some time now and has been in conflict with the Slovenian authorities because of a review of the procedure to obtain the permit to use hydraulic stimulation at the Petišovci field.
According to Miloš Markič of the Geological Survey, low-volume and high-volume fracturing should be distinguished, with the former allowed in most countries and the latter prohibited in Europe due to the population density.
