Orlen to Commence Shale Gas Drilling at Wierzbica Concession

Orlen Upstream, part of the Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen group, is to start its first exploratory drilling in Syczyn.

Vertical drilling will be conducted by the Czech company MND Drilling & Services, commencing October 24th.

Orlen Upstream President and CEO Wieslaw Prugar says, that after reaching a target depth of 3000mts in 30 to 40 days, the drilling rig will be moved to another location, Berejow.

He anticipates receiving evaluation data from both sites at the end of the first half of the next year.  A decision to launch horizontal drilling and stimulation procedures would be made at that time.

The Syczyn project is situated on the Wierzbica concession, 50 kms east of Lublin, 30 kms from Polish-Ukrainian border and 30 kms north from first drilling site of ExxonMobil, near Krasnystaw.

Berejow, on the Lubartow concession, also in Lubelskie Region, lays 50 kms NW from Syczyn.

Oil refiner and retailer, PKN Orlen is the largest company in Central Europe by revenue. Its upstream branch holds 100% of eight oil and gas exploratory concessions in Poland: six in the Lubelskie  region and two in the Lodzkie region.