A Canadian company exploring potential energy deposits off Poland’s Baltic coast has announced the largest oil discovery in Polish history together with billions of cubic metres of natural gas.
Central European Petroleum (CEP) claimed on July 21 that it had found a deposit containing 22 million tonnes of oil and 5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas at Wolin in northwestern Poland, close to the country’s border with Germany.
This, according to CEP represents “the largest conventional oil discovery in Poland’s history and one of the largest in Europe”.
The CEP’s operations were possible thanks to a licence granted by Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment in 2017. That had met with opposition from Germany whose authorities criticised the issuing of the drilling licence on ecological grounds.
Poland’s Conservatives (PiS) party had long argued that Germany was trying to block Poland’s drive for energy self-sufficiency via environmentalist-led opposition to Poland’s nuclear energy programme and the Baltic Pipe which pumps gas from Norway to Poland
Krzysztof Galos, chief geologist and deputy climate and environment minister in the present centre-left coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, welcomed the news of the find.
“The discovery of the Wolin hydrocarbon deposit, although it still requires the preparation, submission, and approval of the deposit’s geological documentation, could prove to be a breakthrough in the history of hydrocarbon exploration in Poland,” he told reporters
“If this discovery is confirmed, the Wolin deposit could become the largest deposit of crude oil and associated natural gas ever discovered in Poland,” added Galos, saying that this could help strengthen the country’s energy security by reducing reliance on imports.
Total reserves in the entire Wolin area are expected to reach 27 bcm of gas and 33 million tonnes of oil which would more than double Poland’s existing estimated oil reserves. These reserves stood at 20.24 million tonnes in 2023.
According to Eurostat, Poland consumed 30 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products in 2023 and its annual natural gas consumption was 20 bcm.
The government and commentators in Poland remained cautious bearing in mind the expectations aroused but never fulfilled with regard to the shale gas finds in Poland of approximately 20 years ago.
Poland was considered to have the largest shale gas resources in Europe, with estimates ranging from 1.3 to 5.3 trillion cubic meters.
But visions of energy independence for decades never materialised despite government incentives and concessions as potential extractors pulled out one by one due to geological difficulties as well as public protests against fracking.
