Poland’s PGNiG-ORLEN is preparing to begin drilling its third exploration well in Libya this November, as the company and the National Oil Corporation (NOC) review ongoing exploration activities and plans for 2027.
The preparations were discussed during the 2026 annual technical meeting between the NOC’s Exploration Department and PGNiG-ORLEN, held on Monday at the corporation’s headquarters in Tripoli. According to the NOC, the meeting focused on progress across the company’s exploration and appraisal activities, operational developments and the remaining work under its exploration programme.
The planned well represents the next stage of the company’s exploration activities following its lifting of force majeure in April 2024. Exploration drilling will help assess the geological potential of the company’s operating area, although the NOC statement did not disclose the well’s location, target depth, prospective resources or expected drilling duration.
Reviewing Exploration Progress
During the meeting, both sides reviewed completed technical work and studies, alongside the outstanding elements of the exploration programme in the area assigned to the company.
Such reviews help guide decisions on future exploration activity by bringing together findings from technical studies and operational experience. They also provide an opportunity to assess the work still required as the company advances its programme.
The discussions covered both exploration and appraisal activities. Exploration seeks to identify potential hydrocarbon discoveries, while appraisal helps establish the characteristics and commercial potential of resources already identified. The statement did not specify which individual studies or appraisal operations were reviewed.
Planning for 2027
The proposed work programme and allocated budget for 2027 were also discussed, placing the upcoming drilling preparations within a broader review of the company’s activities for the following year.
The NOC did not publish a budget figure or provide a detailed breakdown of the proposed programme. Its statement also did not indicate whether the plans had received final approval.
Nevertheless, the discussion of next year’s programme points to planning beyond the immediate drilling campaign. The scope of subsequent activity will depend on the agreed programme and the findings of ongoing exploration work.
Technical Cooperation
The meeting brought together the NOC’s Director of Exploration, the general manager of PGNiG-ORLEN’s Libya branch and the company’s exploration director.
Technical specialists from both organisations also attended, alongside representatives of the Petroleum Research Centre. Their participation brought operational and research expertise into the review of completed studies, current activities and future plans.
For Libya, continued exploration offers an opportunity to build knowledge of its hydrocarbon resources and identify prospects that could support future development. Any contribution to production, however, would depend on drilling results, commercial assessments and subsequent investment decisions.
With its third exploration well being prepared for November and its proposed 2027 programme under discussion, PGNiG-ORLEN is advancing the next phase of its exploration work in Libya.
