Equinor ASA and ORLEN SA have announced a natural gas discovery on Norway’s side of the North Sea, with plans to connect it to the Baltic Pipe to supply Poland.
The Sissel discovery in production license (PL) 1137 is estimated to hold 6.3-28.3 million oil-equivalent barrels, mainly gas with condensate admixture, Poland’s majority state-owned ORLEN said in a statement on its website. Sissel, or well 15/8-3 S, is the first exploration well drilled in PL1137, awarded 2022, according to a separate press release by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.
“The Sissel discovery, from which we expect to obtain approximately one billion cubic meters [35.31 billion cubic feet] of gas, strengthens our asset portfolio in Norway and represents another step toward achieving the ORLEN Group’s strategic objectives”, said ORLEN president Ireneusz Fafara. “Norwegian gas plays a crucial role in ensuring stable supplies for our customers. This was clearly demonstrated earlier this year, when we recorded record‑high demand from the energy sector, businesses and households – reaching as much as 100 million cubic meters in a single day.
“In response, we increased gas imports, including via the Baltic Pipe, which transports gas from the Norwegian continental shelf to Poland.“As a company fundamental to Poland’s energy security, we remain firmly committed to further developing cooperation with our Norwegian partners based on our own production on the Shelf”.The partners are considering tying back Sissel to the Utgard field, itself a tieback to the Sleipner complex.PL1137, in the central part of the North Sea, sits 250 kilometers (155.34 miles) from Stavanger city in southwestern Norway, according to ORLEN. Norway’s majority state-owned Equinor is operator with a 50 percent stake, the other half held by ORLEN.