The production from Tommeliten A, which started nearly six months earlier than the scheduled date, will provide Orlen with an additional 0.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually that will be transported to Poland through the Baltic Pipe pipeline
Orlen starts production from Tommeliten A field. (Credit: Maria Lupan on Unsplash)
Polish oil and gas company Orlen Group has announced the start of production from the Tommeliten A gas and condensate field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
Orlen, through its subsidiary PGNiG Upstream Norway (PUN), holds more than 42% interest in the Tommeliten A field.
Other partners include ConocoPhillips Scandinavia, which is also the operator, TotalEnergies EP Norge, Vår Energi, ConocoPhillips (U.K.), TotalEnergies E&P UK, and ENI UK.
The production from Tommeliten A will provide Orlen with an additional 0.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, which will be transported to Poland through the Baltic Pipe pipeline.
Orlen said that the production started nearly six months earlier than the scheduled date, contributing to Poland’s energy security this season.
Orlen CEO and management board president Daniel Obajtek said: “Tommeliten A stands as one of the ORLEN Group’s largest investment projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, not only due to the size of its resources but also because we are the largest interest holder in the field.
“The production start will result in a surge of an additional 0.5 billion cubic metres annually in the Orlen Group’s gas output, bringing us closer to the strategic goal of doubling production in Norway to 6 billion cubic metres a year.
“The increase in production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is one of the Orlen Group’s priorities in order to ensure uninterrupted supplies of energy needed by the Polish economy.”
Tommeliten A field has reserves estimated at a range of 120 to 180 million barrels of oil equivalent, with the Orlen holding a share of 50 to 76 million barrels of oil equivalent, including six to nine billion cubic metres of gas.
The hydrocarbons are planned to be extracted from 11 wells and delivered through a heated pipeline to the Production Licence 018 facilities for further processing and transportation.
The PL 018 facilities are one of the key production hubs on the NCS and have been transformed to accommodate Tommeliten A deliveries.
Orlen said that Tommeliten A is one of the nine investment projects it has initiated over the last two years to step up gas production on the NCS.
It is expected to increase the Polish refiner’s production to 6 billion cubic metres per year by the end of 2030, up from 3.5 billion cubic meters last year, contributing to Poland’s energy security.
Last year, Orlen Group companies delivered 3.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas from its Norwegian fields, contributing to more than 20% of the gas demand in Poland.