Draft amendments to the Act on Establishing the Hydrocarbon Agency,  which were discussed by lawmakers on Thursday, will expand the agency's powers and "adjust its activities to the exploration and exploitation of geothermal resources and underground gas storage," state agency Hina reported.

The economy and sustainable development ministry’s state secretary Ivo Milatic informed the parliament that the agency’s participation in amending zoning plans, would be also expanded. He said that only 18% of Croatia’s needs for oil were now covered by production from domestic sources, and therefore it was important to find new sources.

The logic behind the production of the energy from renewables would be to offset the difference between the market and producing price so as to make production efficient.

Vesna Vucemilovic of the Homeland Movement party said that hydrocarbon reserves should be preserved as a raw material for the chemical industry.

Ante Deur of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) announced support to the draft amendments, underscoring that the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons created a strong impetus to developing the industry and supporting activities, and to economic growth too.

Croatia has 60 exploitation fields, 57 on the continental shelf of the country and three offshore. The Agency plays an extremely important role as it ensures  optimum level management of hydrocarbons and petroleum product reserves, and of geothermal sources, Deur said.