Polish Baltic oil drilling near Świnoujście alarms German island officials
A drilling rig has reached the Baltic about six kilometers from Świnoujście beaches for a single CEP well costing $135,000 a day. German officials and environmental groups warn of spill risks for Uznam, a resort island that Bild says draws more than one million visitors a year.
Rig arrives off Świnoujście
The VALARIS 123 platform has arrived in the Baltic about six kilometers from the Świnoujście beaches, and the operation there is expected to take close to 110 days. According to a report filed by Valaris with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, its contract with Central European Petroleum (CEP) covers drilling one well on the Polish part of the Baltic within the Wolin project. The rig's daily cost is $135,000, about 527,000 zloty, and the total cost of the work is put at nearly $15 million, or about 58 million zloty. Articles estimate the resources of the Polish part of the deposit at around 22 million tonnes of oil.
- CEP announces the Wolin East 1 oil discovery about 6 km from Świnoujście
- Bild reports CEP project documents describing 8,200 tonnes of oil a day
- VALARIS 123 is on site for a single well expected to take close to 110 days
Discovery and plans for production
In July last year CEP announced a large oil discovery made by the Wolin East 1 (WE1) well, drilled in the Baltic about 6 km from Świnoujście. The company estimates that the Wolin East deposit holds 22 million tonnes of recoverable hydrocarbons as oil and condensate, plus 5 billion cubic meters of commercial-quality gas. Some reports give the oil figure as 21 million tonnes instead. CEP president Rolf Skaar told PAP Biznes that the company is now looking for Polish and international partners to produce oil and gas from the Wolin concession. Skaar described the field as the largest conventional hydrocarbon deposit discovered in Poland so far. Articles stress that the road to any production is still long and that nothing has been decided.
Design documents and German concern
On Thursday, Bild reported from project documentation that CEP intends to extract 8,200 tonnes of oil a day in the future. The planned platform measures 80 by 300 meters, and the project includes its own port, a large breakwater and a tanker channel 200 meters wide and 12 meters deep. A derrick up to 65 meters high would dominate the site, which covers 18 hectares, roughly 25 football pitches according to Business Insider. Bild reports that the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania takes a critical view of the project, and the state and the municipality of Heringsdorf on Uznam have been asked for their positions. Business Insider notes that all interested parties must now submit their opinions.
Local and environmental objections
Laura Isabelle Marisken, the 38-year-old non-partisan mayor of the Heringsdorf municipality, which borders the project, told Bild that she is worried about the sea. She said her concern covers the island of Uznam, one of the most popular resort areas on the German coast.
I am very worried about the ecosystem and the natural environment of the Baltic Sea.
Marisken warns of 'catastrophic consequences for the entire Baltic Sea' in the event of an accident. She also argues that the potential environmental impact of construction and operation 'has not yet been sufficiently clarified'. Deutsche Umwelthilfe, an environmental group, has called on the federal government to persuade Poland to give up the drilling plans. Its managing director, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, pointed to the operator's own documents.
The operator itself describes in its own documents the risk of enormous oil pollution of the coast and high mortality of birds and fish in the event of a serious accident.
Müller-Kraenner added that the number of strictly protected harbour porpoises fell significantly during the exploratory drilling already carried out. Bild notes that more than one million tourists come to Uznam every year.
