Poland unveils major oil and gas discovery in Baltic Sea

The largest conventional oil field in Poland has been discovered, the Canadian firm Central European Petroleum announced Monday.

The discovery was made in the Baltic Sea, six kilometers (3.7 miles) from the northwestern Polish port of Swinoujscie. The Wolin East field is estimated to contain 22 million tons of recoverable hydrocarbons and 5 billion cubic meters of commercial-grade natural gas. Central European Petroleum described it as the largest conventional oil discovery in Poland's history and one of the biggest in Europe. Natural gas deposits within the Wolin concession could be equivalent to more than 300 million barrels of oil.

Drilling is being carried out by the US firm Noble Corporation, while Zenith Energy, a well engineering consultancy and project management company, announced earlier this year that the Wolin East 1 well had been successfully delivered to Central European Petroleum.

Coal consumption has declined in Poland, but oil and gas use continues to rise, making the country one of the world's top four highest emitting economies. In June 2025, renewable energy sources generated 44.1% of Poland's electricity, while coal and lignite plants produced 43.7%, according to think tank Energy Forum.

Poland's dependence on imports of energy carriers has grown — from 29% a decade ago to 45% today — with nearly 97% of its crude oil imported.

The country also imports much of its gas as liquefied natural gas from the Middle East and the US via new terminals in Gdansk and Swinoujscie, as well as natural gas delivered via pipeline from Norway.

This Baltic Sea discovery is expected to reduce Poland's reliance on foreign energy resources and could also affect the nearby German energy market.