The Eirin gas field is an offshore natural gas field located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Following Orlen’s purchase of an additional almost 20% stake in the gas field from Equinor Energy, the volume of gas to be extracted will almost double to more than 1.5 billion cubic meters.

The company said in an announcement: “The completion of the transaction will enable Orlen to further increase its own natural gas production and contribute to the optimisation of the company’s operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.”

Orlen added that two production wells will be drilled in the field, from which gas will be transported via an offshore pipeline to a platform at the Gina Krog field, in which the group also holds a 41.3% stake.

Orlen’s CEO Ireneusz Fąfara said: “As we pursue our own oil and gas production aspirations, we are now committed to maximizing the efficiency of our investments and building shareholder value. Eirin is a fully-developed project that will start production as early as next year.”

He added: “Production will be carried out using the already existing infrastructure at our nearby Gina Krog field.

“This will reduce development time and operating costs, while lessening the CO2 intensity associated with production.”