Croatian oil and gas company INA, part of MOL Group, has completed the Ana-4 DIR gas well in the northern Adriatic Sea, the first of five new wells planned under a $74 million (€65 million) drilling program aimed at expanding gas production offshore Croatia.
The well, located on the Sjeverni Jadran (North Adriatic) production field, reached a total depth of 1,282 meters. Initial testing recorded a combined gas flow rate of approximately 160,000 m3 per day from three reservoirs.
INA said preparations are underway to connect the well to the surface production system for an extended production test, which will be used to clean the reservoirs, assess their production potential and collect data for reserve evaluation.
Drilling was carried out using the Labin jack-up drilling rig, operated by the crew of INA's oilfield services subsidiary CROSCO. The rig will next be moved to the IKA JZ-6 DIR location, where drilling will continue as part of the company's offshore development program.
The company noted that the Ana-4 DIR well was drilled without incidents and in accordance with industry health, safety and environmental standards.
According to INA, the completion of the first well confirms the remaining gas potential of its offshore fields in the northern Adriatic and is expected to contribute to Croatia's security of natural gas supply in the coming years.