Ascent Resources permit held back after Slovenian court appeal

After the Slovenian courts held back the permit required to build a gas treatment facility in the Petisovci gas field, Ascent Resources said it was confident of overturning the decision later this year.

A local individual who has fought the proposals every step of the way has won with an appeal via the Slovenian Administrative Court, where they objected to the decision by the Slovenian Environment Agency and environment minister not to order an environmental impact assessment for the facility.

The court rejected Ascent's permit, but, the company noted, "on grounds unrelated to [the] appellant's complaint".

Ascent said the appeal "was expected given that the appellant has repeatedly objected to the project at every stage despite these objections being consistently rejected by the Environment Agency (twice), the Environment Minister (twice) and the Administrative Court (once)".

The company's local partners "have now rectified the perceived issues identified by the court during the last hearing we are confident that the court will again rule in our favour when they reconsider the case, which we hope will occur during the second half of 2017".

Chief executive Colin Hutchinson said: "The decision by this individual to appeal is entirely expected as they have no interest in the rationality of their objections or the harm which their actions have inflicted on the national interests of Slovenia and the local economy. We are pleased that the self-interest of one individual should no longer block the commercial interests of Ascent, even if they delay the principal benefits that will accrue from the project to the Slovenian state."

Ascent also pointed out that the court decision "does not impact" activities of its Slovenian joint venture, which last month began selling gas from well Pg-10.