Ascent is pleased to report that, further to its announcement of 5 July 2016, the Company, together with its partners in Slovenia, have signed the conditional agreements necessary to allow commercial gas production to commence as early as January 2017.
The new route to market uses an existing production pipeline from the Petisovci field in Slovenia to the Croatian border where the raw gas will be sold.
This route is independent of the IPPC Permit. No further regulatory approvals are required for gas production to commence using this route to market. Additionally, the funding required to commence production is materially lower than would be the case if we were required to construct a new treatment facility in Slovenia.
Furthermore, the Company has entered an agreement to acquire a Company which owns access to a key section of pipeline in Slovenia in return for the issue of up to 75 million new Ascent shares plus options over a further up to 7.5 million shares at a price of 2 pence per share. As such an allotment is beyond the current authority of the Board and a General Meeting has been convened for 22 August 2016 to consider and if thought fit approve the necessary authorities to allow the agreements to become unconditional.