PGNiG Upstream Norway from the Orlen Group, together with its concession partners, discovered gas resources near the already exploited Gina Krog field. Their volume is estimated at 0.8-2.6 million m3 of oil equivalent. By using the existing mining infrastructure, it will be possible to start exploiting new resources this year, Orlen said.
“The discovery of a new deposit in the immediate vicinity of Gina Krog will not only allow the Orlen Group to increase natural gas production, but will also improve profitability indicators and extend the period of use of Gina Krog assets. We have a modern and well-developed mining infrastructure here, so launching the exploitation of new resources will be possible with low investment outlays and in a very short time. By connecting the Gina Krog platform to the onshore power grid powered almost entirely by electricity produced in hydroelectric power plants, production from the deposit will not involve additional carbon dioxide emissions. This discovery is an example of the effective implementation of our development strategy on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, which is a key foreign market for the Orlen Group when it comes to the development of crude oil and natural gas production. By 2030, we plan to increase the amount of gas produced to 12 billion m3 per year, half of which will come from Norway. We want to achieve this goal while reducing CO2 emissions for each barrel or cubic meter of extracted raw material. This is achieved by increasing the efficiency of the use of existing infrastructure, as is the case with Gina Krog,” said Daniel Obajtek, president of the company, quoted in the release.
The discovery of new gas resources was made in the Dougal field, which is located approximately 1.5 km south of the Gina Krog field. The exploration well is being prepared for production, which is scheduled to start in 2023. The extracted raw material, the volume of which is estimated at 0.8-2.6 million m3 of oil equivalent, will be sent to the Gina Krog production platform. Including Dougal, Gina Krog’s estimated remaining recoverable reserves are 13 million barrels of oil equivalent. So far, 17 million m3 of oil equivalent has been extracted from the Gina Krog field, it was also reported.
Gina Krog is one of 19 deposits currently exploited by PGNiG Upstream Norway from the Orlen Group. The company holds shares in 90 licenses, which gives it sixth place among companies operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Currently, PGNiG Upstream Norway’s oil and gas reserves amount to over 55 million barrels of oil equivalent. In terms of resources and production of oil and gas, the company is in the top ten companies operating actively in Norway, and in terms of resources and production of natural gas itself, it ranks 8th, recalls Orlen.
In 2022, the Orlen Group produced 3.5 billion m3 of natural gas from its Norwegian deposits, which corresponded to over 20% of Poland’s last year’s demand for this raw material.
The operator of Gina Krog is Equinor Energy AS, which holds 58.7% of shares in it. The rest belong to KUFPEC Norway AS (30%) and PGNiG Upstream Norway AS (11.3%).
The Orlen Group manages refineries in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, conducts retail operations in Central Europe, mining operations in Poland, Norway, Canada and Pakistan, and is also involved in energy production, including renewable energy sources and natural gas distribution. As part of the construction of a multi-energy concern, the company finalized the acquisitions of Energa, Grupa Lotos and PGNiG. Its consolidated sales revenues reached PLN 277.56 billion in 2022. The company has been listed on the WSE since 1999; is included in the WIG20 index.