ORLEN Equinor and Vår Energi Confirm Frida Kahlo Gas Discovery in Norway’s Sleipner Area

ORLEN Equinor and Vår Energi Confirm Frida Kahlo Gas Discovery in Norway’s Sleipner Area

(IN BRIEF) ORLEN Upstream Norway, together with Equinor and Vår Energi, has confirmed a new gas and condensate discovery at the Frida Kahlo prospect in the Sleipner area of the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The discovery is estimated to contain around 7.2 million barrels of oil equivalent and is expected to begin production in the first half of 2026 by utilizing existing infrastructure at the Sleipner B platform. Recoverable resources are estimated at 5.3 to 9.4 million barrels of oil equivalent, including up to 810 million cubic meters of natural gas. The license is operated by Equinor with a 58.34944 percent share, while ORLEN Upstream Norway holds 24.4112 percent and Vår Energi 17.23936 percent. The discovery follows the earlier Sissel find in the same region and further strengthens ORLEN’s production activities in the Sleipner area, which accounted for about 30 percent of the company’s Norwegian output in 2025.

(PRESS RELEASE) PŁOCK, 11-Mar-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — ORLEN Upstream Norway, in collaboration with operator Equinor and partner Vår Energi, has confirmed a new gas and condensate discovery in the Sleipner area on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The find, located at the Frida Kahlo prospect, is estimated to contain approximately 7.2 million barrels of oil equivalent and is expected to begin production during the first half of 2026.

The discovery was made from a well drilled from the Sleipner B platform, one of the key installations in the region. Because the prospect is located close to existing infrastructure, the partners can quickly integrate the new volumes into the current production system without the need for additional facilities or major new investments.

According to Wiesław Prugar, Member of the ORLEN Management Board responsible for Upstream operations, the Frida Kahlo project highlights the operational efficiency of ORLEN’s assets on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. By using already established infrastructure in the Sleipner area, development costs can be significantly reduced while accelerating the timeline for bringing new resources into production. In the case of the Frida Kahlo discovery, production is expected to begin only weeks after the discovery was confirmed.

Preliminary assessments estimate recoverable resources in the Frida Kahlo field at between 5.3 and 9.4 million barrels of oil equivalent. Of this volume, approximately 450 to 810 million cubic meters are expected to be natural gas.

The license is shared among the project partners, with Equinor acting as operator and holding a 58.34944 percent interest. ORLEN Upstream Norway holds a 24.4112 percent stake in the license, while Vår Energi owns the remaining 17.23936 percent.

The development of the Frida Kahlo discovery will further strengthen the role of the Sleipner area as one of ORLEN’s most important production hubs in Norway. In 2025, operations in the Sleipner region accounted for around 30 percent of the ORLEN Group’s total output from the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Gas produced in the Sleipner area is transported to the Kårstø processing terminal before being delivered to European markets via the Europipe II pipeline and the Danish transmission network that connects to the Baltic Pipe.

The Frida Kahlo discovery represents ORLEN’s second successful exploration result in the Sleipner region this year. Earlier in January, ORLEN Upstream Norway and Equinor announced the Sissel discovery, which is estimated to contain between 6.3 and 28.3 million barrels of oil equivalent, including approximately 0.6 to 2.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas. ORLEN Upstream Norway holds a 50 percent stake in the Sissel license.

Together, these discoveries reinforce the strategic importance of the Sleipner area for ORLEN’s upstream operations and demonstrate the potential for further development of resources in the region through the use of existing production infrastructure.

Media Contact:

media@orlen.pl

SOURCE: ORLEN