HEP paid €85.1 million for the bought gas from the end of September 2022 to the end of June, when the government's decree on regulated price was in effect, and had the power provider paid those gas amounts at the market price, it would have had to pay €455.8 million, the Jutarnji List reported on Tuesday.

In that way, HEP’s disbursement for the gas supplies in the said period of nine months was lower by €370.6 million, the daily explained.

The daily also noted that the government had adopted the decree to address the possible gas supply shortages, and therefore HEP had been obliged to purchase all the quantities of the gas produced by the INA oil and gas group in Croatia while the decree was in effect.

The decree was rescinded recently after it was revealed that, due to impossibility to store the accumulated gas supplies, HEP started selling surplus gas supplies below the market price in late spring.

All these data are expected to be presented at the meeting of the parliamentary committee on the economy which will discuss the surplus gas supplies sale on Friday, the daily reported.