Zagreb has not given its consent to the proposed route of the submarine cable that should connect Montenegro and Italy. The Croatian Ministry of Economy made known the official Podgorica that the proposed route for the project of connecting Montenegro and Italy by undersea electric cable would not be approved as it passed through the Croatian part of the Adriatic at which would be conducted oil and gas exploration.
In principle Croatia is not opposed to laying submarine power lines through its part of the epicontinental shelf, but the proposed route of laying submarine power cables cannot be approved until they would know the future borders of concession areas for the hydrocarbonsexploitation in its epicontinental shelf, it is the attitude of the Croatian Ministry of Economy.
Epicontinental shelf of the countries with access to the sea covers that part of the seabed in which the coastal state has the exclusive right of exploitation and exploration of natural resources.
The Croatian Ministry of Economy, as reports portal Cdm.me, said to have repeatedly suggested to the representatives of the Italian company “Terna” that the route of the submarine cable laying could go by rim area of “South Adriatic” at which would be done the hydrocarbon exploration, and the approval from the Croatian is not necessary in that case.
Representatives of the “Terna”, the Montenegrin government and company Montenegrin Transmission System (CGES) have signed an agreement on the establishment of submarine power interconnection between Italy and Montenegro in November 2010th.