Two new licences for exploration and appraisal of unconventional gas deposits have been granted to ORLEN Upstream by the Ministry of the Environment. The licences cover adjacent areas in western part of the Province of Łódź.

The new licences were named Łódź and Sieradz, and cover a combined area of 1,683 km2. In the coming years, ORLEN Upstream will be searching for unconventional gas deposits in that area. The Sieradz licence provides for exploration for shale gas, while the Łódź licence is for tight gas.

In the areas covered by the licences, ORLEN Upstream will first gather and analyse geological and geophysical data. Next, geochemical analyses of the samples sourced from drill cores will be carried out. The further stage of licence work will involve performance of 2D seismic surveys, which will serve as a basis for the final assessment of the geological structure of the sites.

Within the sites licensed to ORLEN Upstream, there are small parts of areas protected under the Natura 2000 initiative. The Company declared in its licence application that no exploration work will be carried out in that area and it will be excluded from the Company's operations. All work planned in the vicinity of the Natura 2000 areas will be designed so as to eliminate any potential impact on that area.

ORLEN Upstream, an ORLEN Group company, was established to implement PKN ORLEN's hydrocarbons exploration and production strategy. With the two newly acquired licences, the Company holds eight licences for exploration and appraisal of unconventional gas deposits in the Province of Łódź and in the Lublin region (Bełżyce, Garwolin, Lubartów, Lublin, Wierzbica, Hrubieszów). More information is available at www.orlenupstream.pl

Shale gas – natural gas contained in shale formations. The characteristic feature of this kind of gas is that it is contained in the source rock.
Tight gas – natural gas contained in sandstone or, less often, in limestone formations. Tight gas is trapped in impermeable rock pores.