A local subsidiary of Canadian Vermilion Energy has announced the discovery of a commercially viable oil and gas field near Kutina in central Croatia. The discovery was made at the Zbjegovaca-1 Istok well, located on the SAVA-07 exploration site, which spans 2,032 square kilometers across three Croatian counties. Drilling at the Zbj-1IS well began on January 15, and by February 10, the well reached a final depth of 2,370 meters. The analysis revealed the presence of saturated hydrocarbons in three layers.
Production is expected to start in 2025 and continue for 20 years, with reserves estimated at 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent, ranking Zbjegovaca among Croatia’s top five fields based on 2P reserves, which include both proven and probable quantities.
In March 2020, Vermilion Zagreb Exploration signed an agreement with the Croatian Government for oil and gas exploration and production sharing on the SAVA-07 site. Additionally, in March, Croatian oil and gas company INA and Vermilion signed an agreement to jointly explore the SAVA-07 site, with Vermilion retaining a 60% stake and serving as the operator, while INA holds a 40% stake.
