ORLEN Confirms Significant Increase in Afrodite Gas Resources

“Afrodite is an unconventional discovery where the first well was drilled nearly 20 years ago. The data collected at that time did not provide a clear answer as to whether its development would be commercially viable. Recent advances in upstream technology prompted the license partners to reassess the project and drill a new appraisal well. Its purpose was to confirm additional gas volumes and acquire the data needed to select the best development concept. Even the preliminary analysis has allowed us to more than double the estimate of recoverable resources at Afrodite. This means the discovery may be larger than Omega Alpha, the largest discovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in recent years, in which ORLEN also participated. The results from Afrodite are a major success and an important step toward unlocking the potential of unconventional oil and gas resources in Norway,” said Wiesław Prugar, Vice President of the Management Board of ORLEN for Upstream.

Afrodite is one of the latest additions to ORLEN Upstream Norway’s portfolio. In February 2026, the company announced its acquisition of a 25 percent stake in the discovery from Vår Energi. At the time, Afrodite’s total recoverable resources were estimated at approximately 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), of which ORLEN’s share amounted to around 12 million boe. However, the latest appraisal work indicates significantly larger resources, with recoverable volumes now estimated by the operator at 77-180 million barrels of oil equivalent, depending on the development concept ultimately selected. This corresponds to a mean estimate of 128 million boe, of which more than 32 million boe is attributable to ORLEN Upstream Norway. In addition to natural gas, the Afrodite discovery contains oil and other hydrocarbons. For comparison, the mean recoverable resources estimate for the Omega Alpha discovery announced last year is 115 million boe.

The increased resource estimates provide further support for developing the discovery. Afrodite could potentially be tied back to the existing infrastructure of the Kvitebjørn field, in which both ORLEN Upstream Norway and Equinor hold interests. Such a solution could reduce development costs and accelerate first production from the discovery.

Afrodite is located within license PL293, northwest of Bergen. Based on available data, ORLEN believes that additional resources may be present in the surrounding area. Bringing Afrodite into production could facilitate the future development of nearby discoveries.

In addition to Afrodite, ORLEN’s portfolio includes several other unconventional discoveries on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, among them Victoria, in which ORLEN acquired an interest in 2026. It is the largest undeveloped gas discovery in Norway. Together with its partners, ORLEN is carrying out extensive work to assess the discovery’s production potential and define the optimal development concept.

The development of unconventional discoveries may play an important role in maintaining stable oil and gas production and ensuring efficient use of offshore infrastructure on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. In recent years, technological advances that improve reservoir productivity have increased interest in this type of resource. ORLEN intends to use the experience it has gained from unconventional projects in other countries when developing these assets.