Orlen says Afrodyta gas field in North Sea holds more than twice the expected resources

A resource estimate more than doubled

Orlen Upstream Norway, together with Equinor, DNO and Wellesley Petroleum, has finished exploration drilling on the Afrodyta field in the North Sea. Orlen says the recoverable resources came out more than twice the level assumed before. Equinor, the field operator, puts recoverable volumes between 77 and 180 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). Orlen's share is put at more than 32 million boe, and the company says that includes more than 4 billion cubic metres of gas. Afrodyta also holds oil and other hydrocarbons besides gas.

Field estimate, February 202650

Orlen share, February 202612

New estimate, low (Equinor)77

New estimate, high (Equinor)180

Omega Alfa average115

Field estimate, February 2026

50 mln boe

Orlen share, February 2026

12 mln boe

New estimate, low (Equinor)

77 mln boe

New estimate, high (Equinor)

180 mln boe

Omega Alfa average

115 mln boe

Data from the article text

Field history and the stake

Afrodyta is an unconventional field, and its first well was drilled almost 20 years ago. The data from that well did not give a clear answer on whether developing the field would pay. Orlen returned to the project after upstream technology advanced in recent years, and the new well was meant to confirm additional gas volumes and gather data for choosing the best development method. Orlen Upstream Norway took a 25% stake from Var Energi in February 2026. At that point total recoverable resources were put at about 50 million boe, of which roughly 12 million boe belonged to Orlen.

Development options and nearby prospects

Orlen is weighing a link from Afrodyta to the Kvitebjørn field infrastructure, where Orlen Upstream Norway and Equinor are already partners. The company says such a link could cut costs and bring forward the start of production. Orlen also says further undiscovered deposits may lie nearby, and early output from Afrodyta would make them easier to develop. Its Norwegian shelf portfolio includes other unconventional deposits, among them Victoria, which is described as the largest undeveloped gas field in Norway.

“Higher estimates of recoverable resources are an additional argument for developing the field.”

For comparison, the Omega Alfa discovery in 2025, which Orlen also took part in, has average recoverable resources of 115 million boe.

Company reaction

Wiesław Prugar, Orlen's vice-president for upstream, assessed the outcome in these terms:

“The results of the work on Afrodyta are a big success and an important step in using the potential of unconventional oil and gas fields in Norway.”

Prugar also said the preliminary analysis of the new well had already more than doubled the resource estimate, and that Afrodyta may be larger than Omega Alfa.