SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), January 5 (SeeNews) – London-based international consulting company IHS has lodged a bid in a public tender launched by Bosnia's Federation in search for a consultant to advise the issuing of an international public call for oil and gas exploration on the entity's territory, local media reported.
IHS, a global giant in the field of energy consulting, also worked in Croatia on developing a public tender for oil exploration, news daily Dnevni Avaz reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper's source, the tender was completed on December 28, with the Federation having only received a bid from IHS.
"We will sit down and review the documentation next week. I know they worked in Croatia. Legally, there is no obstacle for the company to get the job, but the government will have the last say," the newspaper quoted Federation energy ministry official Begajeta Habota as saying.
According to estimates of the geology institute of the Federation, the territory of the Dinaric Alps could potentially contain deposits of about 1 billion barrels of oil.
In September 2015, Shell Exploration Company exited an earlier initiative to conduct geological and geophysical research to determine the oil and gas prospects of the Federation.
Shell said at the time that following an internal portfolio review and in light of the oil and gas environment, it would not seek to extend its deal with the Federation. The agreement was extended in 2013 and 2014 to enable the parties to potentially negotiate a petroleum production licence but such negotiations never started and the deal expired.
In October, Bosnian media reported that Shell had shown interest in rekindling its relationship with the Federation government and had scheduled a meeting with representatives of the government in Sarajevo, however it never showed up.
The Federation is one of two autonomous entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other one is the Serb Republic.