The Croatian Energy Market Operator (HROTE) confirmed on Friday that the State Attorney's Office (DORH) had requested data on trading in gas supplies purchased by the HEP power provider from the INA oil and gas group.

On Friday morning DORH asked for data for the period when the government’s decree regarding gas provision during gas market disruptions was in effect. Under that decree, HEP was obliged to purchase all the gas supplies which INA produced in Croatia, HROTE director Boris Abramovic confirmed for the Croatian state news agency Hina.

We as well as HERA (the Croatian energy regulatory agency) will forward those data to the economy ministry too, Abramovic said.

He explained that during June, the Plinacro gas pipeline operator had to release 57,000 megawatts of gas from the transport system for the purpose of balancing, and those amounts were bought by buyers who purchased it from HEP, Abramovic explained.

The data were recorded in the platform for trading, he added.

The current model of trading in gas is supposed to be transitional towards market-regulated trading, which he described as “clearer and more transparent to a larger extent”.

It enables us to know the prices, buyers and quantities, he added.

The issue of the sale of surplus gas supplies was raised by Most party MP Zvonimir Troskot who has said that HEP, which purchases gas from INA at a regulated price of €47.60 per megawatt hour, has been selling that gas to suppliers through HROTE well below that price, thus incurring losses, in some cases amounting to €500,000 a day.