ORLEN Upstream Norway has received an offer from the Norwegian Ministry of Energy to acquire stakes in six new exploration and production licenses. The offer is the result of the annual APA licensing round, under which companies apply for new acreage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. One of the licenses proposed to ORLEN could prove breakthrough, opening new prospects for gas production in Norway.
As in previous years, ORLEN Upstream Norway applied for acreage adjacent to its existing assets. This strategy enables the use of existing infrastructure to potentially develop new resources, thereby reducing both investment costs and timelines. The licenses offered to the company are located near the Skarv, Vilje, Yme, and Yggdrasil fields.
Not all of the licenses offered to ORLEN are purely exploratory. One license, located near the Skarv field, covers an area where large unconventional tight-gas resources were discovered as early as 2000—estimated at up to 140 billion cubic meters. The discovery was named Victoria.
Previous license holders withdrew after drilling an appraisal well in 2009, citing challenging reservoir conditions and, consequently, the lack of prospects for achieving satisfactory production levels using the technologies available at the time. ORLEN Upstream Norway, together with its partners—Aker BP, Equinor, and Harbour Energy—now believes that economically viable production is achievable.
“Advances in extraction technologies over recent years allow us to consider developing resources that until recently were deemed inaccessible. The Victoria field is particularly attractive—it is one of the largest undeveloped gas fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. This is a demanding project, but its potential success would pave the way for the development of other unconventional gas fields on the shelf. Participation in the Victoria project will position ORLEN well to pursue further ventures of this kind,”
said Wiesław Prugar, Member of the ORLEN Management Board responsible for Upstream.
According to data from the Norwegian authorities, unconventional gas resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf total at least 800 billion cubic meters. These resources are trapped in low-permeability rocks, making them difficult to exploit with conventional technologies. ORLEN brings experience in unconventional gas development from other regions, which can also be applied in Norway.
ORLEN Upstream Norway has been offered a 20% stake in the license covering the Victoria field. Aker BP will serve as the operator.
The APA rounds are Norway’s primary mechanism for awarding new licenses. Each year, the Ministry of Energy publishes a list of areas to be made available. To obtain a license, upstream companies must submit, among other things, an analysis of the area’s potential and a binding work program. In evaluating applications, the ministry places particular emphasis on their substantive merit.
In the APA 2025 licensing round, the Ministry of Energy awarded 57 licenses, with participation offers extended to 19 companies. Formal license awards are scheduled for March. ORLEN Upstream Norway currently holds interests in 94 licenses.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/orlen-zwieksza-opcje-wydobycia-w-norwegii-kluczowa-koncesja-w-poblizu-skarv
