Polish Firm to Drill Offshore Norway
Polish state-run oil and gas company PGNiG is planning to drill a well offshore Norway as the operator – the first Polish company to do so, it said September 4.
"We are expanding our presence in Norway as planned. The focus of all our efforts is to be able to launch deliveries of natural gas to Poland via the Baltic Pipe in 2022. Step by step, supported by the Polish government and working with reliable partners, we are implementing a programme to diversify sources of gas supplies to Poland," said CEO Piotr Wozniak. "We intend to actively participate in future licensing rounds in Norway. We are also holding business talks to acquire new areas for hydrocarbon exploration and production."
PGNiG will drill an exploratory well within the PL838 licence area using a semi-submersible drilling rig. It has 40% while its partners Aker BP and DEA each have 30%. The licence area is directly adjacent to the Aker BP-operated Skarv gas field and Aerfugl gas development, in both of which PGNiG holds a 12% interest.
Skarv production in 2Q2018, largely gas with some condensate, was about 116,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at 100% equity, making it one of the larger gas producing fields offshore Norway.
Several oil and gas prospects have been recorded within the licence area. "Drawing on its experience in Poland, PGNiG suggested a geological concept for the area, which was appreciated by our Norwegian partners, who unanimously approved our recommendation to drill an exploratory well. The well, expected to be spudded in 2019, is being designed," it said.
PGNiG holds interests in 20 exploration and production licences in Norway, acting as the operator of two of them. The company produces hydrocarbons from five fields and holds interests in two other fields, which are now being developed. The PGNiG Group’s recoverable reserves in Norway total 83mn barrels of oil equivalent, as of January 1, 2018.
(Banner photo shows the Skarv production ship, and is courtesy of its original operator BP)