The ORLEN Group is strengthening its position in Norway and preparing to launch production from new fields. Over the next few months, the Group together with its partners, is set to start production from the Tommeliten Alpha field, which will yield an additional 0.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. This is one of nine investment projects undertaken in the past two years to enhance the ORLEN Group’s gas production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The gas extracted from the new fields will be transported to Poland through the Baltic Pipe pipeline, reinforcing the country’s energy security and independence.
‘We have built a strong group capable of implementing ambitious investment projects that are pivotal to Poland’s energy independence. Norway is a strategic foreign market for us in terms of expanding our natural gas production. By the end of 2030, gas production from our own fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf will nearly double, reaching 6 billion cubic metres of gas per year. We are planning to start production from the Tommeliten Alpha field within a few months. In terms of gas reserves, it ranks as our second-largest gas field in Norway, expected to yield half a billion cubic meters of gas annually. Simultaneously, we are developing other fields, which will contribute to ensuring a stable supply of natural gas for Polish industry and households. After acquiring LOTOS and PGNiG, ORLEN integrated their Norwegian assets to enhance its capacity for investing in oil and gas exploration and production in Norway, leveraging the synergies achieved. A new entity has emerged, now counted among Norway’s top ten upstream companies in terms of both reserves and production volumes,’ said Daniel Obajtek, CEO and President of the ORLEN Management Board.
Tommeliten Alpha stands as one of the largest investment projects currently in progress on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The remaining work required to start production is already in progress at the field. More than 42% of Tommeliten Alpha is owned by PGNiG Upstream Norway of the ORLEN Group. The field’s reserves are estimated to range from 80 to 174 million barrels of oil equivalent, with the ORLEN Group holding a share of 33 to 73 million barrels. In addition to natural gas, Tommeliten Alpha will also produce condensate and crude oil.
PGNiG Upstream Norway (PUN) is already producing from 18 fields. In May this year, the company acquired the assets of LOTOS Exploration & Production Norge, ORLEN’s second Norwegian upstream company. The integration led to the formation of an entity that now ranks among the top ten companies out of nearly 30 with active operations on the NCS, both in terms of oil and gas reserves and production. Regarding gas reserves and production, the company stands at 8th place and holds the 5th position in terms of the number of licenses. PUN holds interests in 91 licences. In the last quarter of 2022, production of ORLEN’s Norwegian companies reached 88,000 barrels per day. Throughout 2022, the Group achieved a gas production of 3.5 billion cubic metres from its Norwegian fields, accounting for over 20% of last year’s gas demand in Poland. At present, ORLEN holds oil and gas reserves exceeding 346 million barrels of oil equivalent on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
In addition to Tommeliten Alpha, the ORLEN Group is actively advancing numerous projects aimed at bringing additional fields online. This year alone, the Group has secured administrative approvals for the development of the Alve Nord, Orn, Fenris, Tyrving, Andvare and Verdande fields and the Yggdrasil area. The development of these projects is expected to yield approximately 9 billion cubic metres of gas over their lifetimes, with field production commencing between 2024 and 2027.
In line with its Strategy, ORLEN’s gas production is set to rise to 12 billion cubic metres per year by the end of 2030, up from 7.7 billion cubic meters last year, with half of the gas originating from Norwegian fields. In order to ramp up production, the ORLEN Group plans to invest some USD 3bn on the NCS over the next five years. This will bolster Poland’s energy security, as the gas produced in Norway is transported to Poland through the Baltic Pipe pipeline, for which ORLEN has reserved over 8 billion cubic metres of capacity per year. The Group aims to maximise the share of gas originating from its own fields in the gas transported through the pipeline.
