Croatia’s HEP Plin signed a Share Purchase Agreement with utility company Darkom for the purchase of business shares in Darkom Gas Distribution, which secured the operation of 166 kilometres of the gas distribution network in Bjelovar-Bilogora County.
The purchase of Darkom Gas Distribution has further strengthened HEP Plin’s position as the largest distributor in Croatia by the length of the gas network in its ownership. Together with today’s acquisition, HEP Plin will operate almost 4,600 kilometres of the gas network in Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina, Vukovar-Srijem, Krapina-Zagorje and Bjelovar-Bilogora Counties and supply more than 100,000 customers.
“Thanks to the active expansion policy on the Croatian gas market advocated and implemented by this Management Board, HEP Plin is today one of the most important entities on the gas market,” said the president of HEP Management Board Frane Barbarić. “The synergy of the overall gas business at the level of HEP Group and the strong financial position of HEP are a guarantee of safe and quality services provided to all our customers, including gas consumers in the Daruvar area.”
Darkom gas distribution operates in the southeastern part of Bjelovar-Bilogora County, has more than 6,000 users, of which 5,300 are households and manages 166 kilometres of distribution network annually supplying about 12 million cubic metres of gas.
The takeover of Darkom gas distribution is part of HEP Group’s strategy focused on the further development of gas operations and active participation in the consolidation process on the Croatian gas market. HEP Plin’s long-term plans are focused on building a new and renovating the existing gas network as well as introducing new technologies, such as remote reading and smart gas meters, which creates the basis for strengthening competitiveness, a further increase in the number of customers, distributed gas volumes and service quality.
