ORLEN Upstream Norway, in partnership with Equinor, has discovered new natural gas resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The size of the deposit—named Sissel—will allow the group to produce and transport to Poland close to one billion cubic metres of gas.
The discovery was made within licence PL1137, located in the central part of the North Sea, approximately 250 km southwest of Stavanger. Exploration drilling began in December 2025 and was completed in 39 days, despite challenging weather conditions. The exploration well, with a total depth of 4,359 metres, encountered gas resources with condensate estimated at 6.3–28.3 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
“The success of exploration work at the Sissel field, from which we may recover up to one billion cubic metres of gas, strengthens our Norwegian asset portfolio and represents another step toward achieving the strategic goals of the ORLEN Group. Norwegian gas is crucial for ensuring stable supplies for our customers. This was clearly demonstrated at the beginning of this year, when we recorded record demand from the power sector, businesses and households—reaching 100 million cubic metres per day. In response, we increased imports, including via the Baltic Pipe, which brings gas from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to Poland,”
said Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
“As a company that is key to national energy security, we are determined to continue developing cooperation with our Norwegian partners based on our own upstream production.”
The Sissel field can be tied back via a subsea pipeline to the Utgard field, located about five kilometres to the north. Utgard itself is connected to a platform complex originally built to develop the Sleipner Øst and Sleipner Vest fields. This area constitutes one of ORLEN’s key production hubs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, encompassing—besides the two Sleipner fields and Utgard—also Gungne and Gina Krog. In 2025, production from the Sleipner area accounted for approximately 30% of ORLEN’s total output in Norway. This year, the group plans to bring another field in the area—Eirin—on stream.
“The Sissel discovery confirms the effectiveness of our exploration strategy, focused on areas close to existing production infrastructure. The newly discovered resources can be connected to facilities already in operation, enabling rapid development and lower capital expenditure. At the same time, production from Sissel will help offset the natural decline in output from the Utgard field, thereby extending the useful life of our infrastructure,”
said Wiesław Prugar, Member of the ORLEN Management Board for Upstream.
“This approach ensures maximum economic and operational efficiency in the upstream segment, while providing stable gas supplies to customers in Poland and Central Europe.”
Licence PL1137 is jointly owned in equal shares by ORLEN Upstream Norway and Equinor, which acts as the operator. ORLEN acquired its interest in the licence through the 2024 acquisition of KUFPEC Norway.
The potential development of the Sissel field will depend on a joint decision by the licence partners, based on the results of economic, technical and operational analyses of the project.
Source: ceo.com.pl
