Orlen discovers new oil reservoir in the Norwegian Sea
ORLEN Upstream Norway, in partnership with its license consortium, has announced the discovery of new hydrocarbon resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The newly identified E-prospect is estimated to hold between 3 to 7 million barrels of oil. During drilling operations, an additional, smaller reservoir was encountered, containing up to 2 million barrels.
In brief
Orlen Upstream Norway, together with its licence partners, has discovered the E-prospect field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, estimated at 3 to 7 million barrels of oil, and an additional field of up to 2 million barrels was encountered during drilling. The E-prospect field lies in licence PL212, less than 8 kilometres from the nearest production infrastructure of the Skarv area, whose original resources exceed 700 million barrels of oil equivalent. Wiesław Prugar, Orlen S.A. management board member for Upstream, said the existing infrastructure will speed up development of the discovery. Orlen Upstream holds an 11.9 percent stake in the Skarv field.
The E-prospect lies within the PL212 license area, adjacent to the Skarv field—one of ORLEN Group’s key production hubs in Norway. Located less than 8 kilometers from existing infrastructure, the find benefits from immediate development potential through the well-established production facilities already in place.
- The E-prospect discovery confirms the Skarv area’s potential for continued value creation for the ORLEN Group, said Wiesław Prugar, Management Board Member of ORLEN S.A. responsible for Upstream. - Our developed infrastructure enables faster commercialization, high investment efficiency, and lower emissions. Successes like this are built on long-term planning, deep technical expertise, and effective partnerships.
In addition to the main Skarv field, ORLEN’s regional hub includes producing assets such as Ærfugl Nord and Gråsel, as well as projects under development: Alve Nord, Idun Nord, and Ørn. Several other discoveries—including the latest—are currently being evaluated for potential development. The total recoverable resources of the Skarv area exceed 700 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Skarv’s production is supported by the Skarv FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) unit. Oil and gas from surrounding fields are transported to the vessel via subsea pipelines. A turret mooring system allows the FPSO to weathervane, maintaining operational stability under varying sea conditions.
ORLEN Upstream Norway has operated on the Norwegian Continental Shelf since 2007. The company currently produces from 20 fields and is preparing eight more for production. In 2024, it delivered over 40 million barrels of oil equivalent, including more than 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Gas produced is transported to Poland via the Baltic Pipe, playing a key role in the country's energy transition. ORLEN Upstream Norway is wholly owned by ORLEN S.A.
Current Skarv ownership: Equinor Energy (36.2%), Harbour Energy Norge (28.1%), Aker BP (operator, 23.8%), ORLEN Upstream Norway (11.9%).
Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier
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