Slovenian Environment Agency – ARSO said in March last year that the plans for hydraulic fracturing required an environmental impact assessment and this was confirmed in June last year by the Ministry of Environment. Geoenergo, Ascent’s partner in the project, therefore turned to the Administrative Court, which has upheld the decision. The Administrative Court upheld the decision of ARSO that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study is needed before any permits can be issued for fracking project planned by Ascent Resources at the Petisovci gas field.
Ascent Resources said in a statement that it is in the process of beginning preparations for submission of an environmental impact assessment, alongside the stimulation and field development planning which was initiated recently. However, this court decision, along with earlier actions by the state, will constitute important evidence to support the claim the company intends to bring against Slovenia under the Energy Charter Treaty, said Ascent, referring to its intention to demand 50 million euros in damages from Slovenia for delays in the development of the project.
Last week, Ascent Resources said that it expects to obtain permits for a re-entry and stimulation of its Petisovci gas project in Slovenia by the end of the year. In preparation for receiving the permits to stimulate PG-10 and PG-11A wells, Ascent has hired an expert consultancy team to review the historic stimulation data at Petisovci, and to design a detailed forward stimulation program in order for the company to be able to procure equipment without delay when permits are received, taking advantage of the reduced prices of stimulation equipment in the current economic climate.
Ascent Resources has entered into a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) with the Slovenian company Geoenergo under which it manages operations in the Petisovci oil and gas field. In August 2016, Geoenergo announced that Croatian oil company INA will purchase natural gas from two wells in northeastern Slovenia and transport it to its central gas station in Molve for further processing and cleaning.
