ORLEN acquires stake in Equinor-operated North Sea Afrodite discovery
ORLEN Upstream Norway earlier this month agreed to acquire Vår Energi's 25% interest in production license 293 (PL293) in the North Sea.
The license covers the unconventional Afrodite gas discovery (well 34/12-1), operated by Equinor Energy, ORLEN said in a release Feb. 11.
The Afrodite project will also serve as a testing ground for new methods for producing unconventional resources on the Continental Shelf, including Victoria—the largest undeveloped gas discovery in Norway—in which ORLEN also holds a stake.
Afrodite was discovered in 2008, but its high pressure and high temperature environment prevented attempts at development, ORLEN said.
Equinor and license partners plan to drill an appraisal well to assess the feasibility of production using stimulation technologies and to better quantify recoverable reserves.
Afrodite could be developed as tie-back to nearby Kvitebjørn field, where ORLEN Upstream Norway is also a partner. Based on current estimates, recoverable resources at Afrodite are about 7.5 bcm of gas.
The acquisition of the PL293 license remains subject to standard Norwegian regulatory approvals. Upon completion, ORLEN will hold a 25% interest in Afrodite field. Equinor will remain operator of the license with a 70% stake, while Wellesley Petroleum will hold 5%.
In January 2026, following the APA 2025 licensing round, ORLEN received an offer to acquire a 20% stake in the unconventional Victoria gas discovery, whose resources in place are estimated at 140 bcm, the company said.