ORLEN Advances Cerisa Development in North Sea
- Cerisa is expected to deliver 8.5 million barrels of oil equivalent net to ORLEN, including approximately 0.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
- Start-up of production is planned for 2027, with peak output to ORLEN of about 6,000 boe per day.
- Development will drill two production wells from an existing Duva subsea template and tie into nearby infrastructure to reduce costs and schedule.
- Vår Energi is operator; Vår Energi, ORLEN Upstream Norway and INPEX Idemitsu Norge each hold 30% and DNO Norge holds 10%.
Final investment decision
ORLEN Upstream Norway and its license partners have taken a final investment decision to develop the Cerisa discovery in license PL 636, located roughly 120 km north of Bergen. Cerisa was discovered in June 2024 and production start-up is planned for 2027.
Volumes and production
The development is expected to deliver 8.5 million barrels of oil equivalent net to ORLEN, including about 0.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas. At peak production Cerisa should supply approximately 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to ORLEN Upstream Norway, representing nearly 6% of the company’s daily production in 2025.
Development concept and synergies
The plan calls for drilling two production wells from an existing subsea template currently used by the Duva field and tying Cerisa back to the Duva/Gjøa infrastructure. Leveraging existing facilities is expected to lower costs, shorten the project timeline and create operational synergies that can improve production efficiency at Duva. Cerisa is part of the broader Gjøa Subsea Project, which also brings Ofelia and Gjøa Nord on stream with the Gjøa platform as a regional hub.
Ownership and related approvals
Vår Energi is the license operator. Vår Energi, ORLEN Upstream Norway and INPEX Idemitsu Norge each hold 30% of Cerisa, while DNO Norge holds 10%. Separately, the Norwegian Ministry of Energy approved development plans in May for Albuskjell, Vest Ekofisk and Tommeliten Gamma, assets expected to deliver about 23 million boe (including ~3 bcm of gas) with start-up planned for 2028.
Source: ORLEN
