Some eight years ago, Croatia was able to satisfy 80-90 percent of its gas needs from its own production, while currently less than half the gas needs are met by the country's own resources, and in eight years’ time, that figure will drop to under 20 percent, the head of the Croatian Gas Association, Dalibor Pudic, said on Monday.

The sharp decline comes as a consequence of the fact that it is very difficult for projects to be accepted and implemented in Croatia, notably those related to the exploration of hydrocarbons.

“When we want to implement a project, everyone is against anything happening in their own backyard, so to speak, and it results in no research,” Pudic said at a conference on the gas market in Croatia and the region.

He added that the situation was similar in other countries throughout Europe.

Pudic said that only five to six countries in Europe had a good production-consumption ratio. Norway, Russia and the Netherlands top the rankings.

Croatia should better exploit its potential in this regard, he said.

He said that Croatia could become a kind of regional gas hub in the future and advocated the construction of a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk.

According to gas consumption per capita, the Croatian citizen on average consumes 616 cubic metres annually, while the Dutch average consumption per capita in a year is 2,424 m3.

Pudic also called for treating the gas-based economy as a backbone of the energy and economic development of Croatia.

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