"On Tuesday, leaders of Chevron visited the Government and said that the company was withdrawing its bid to exploit hydrocarbon resources, but it would stay in Lithuania to carry on with its previous activities. CEO in Lithuania, Gilbert Ankenbauer, has informed me that the decision was made in the light of unfinished legislative base for hydrocarbon exploration in Lithuania," Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius said in the press release.
"We regret that the company made this choice, but we understand that they have the right to do so, because the Seimas is still discussing various pieces of legislation that have an effect on the use of hydrocarbons in our country. We hope that Chevron will agree to participate in projects in the future," Butkevičius said.
Following more than half a year of discussions among politicians, scientists and local communities, the Environment Ministry in mid-September recommended that the government name Chevron, the sole bidder, the winner of the tender.
It was said that the US company would have to invest at least 80 million litas (EUR 23.2m) in the 1,800-square-kilometer Šilutė-Tauragė field.
