Oil and gas drilling in the Baltic Sea, about 6 km from Świnoujście, continues to provoke opposition on the German side of the border. German local authorities and environmental organisations fear the impact on the environment and tourism.
What is known about the Wolin East field
Canadian company Central European Petroleum (CEP) announced in July 2025 the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Wolin East 1 well, drilled in the Baltic Sea within the “Wolin” concession area. The company estimated recoverable resources at approx. 22 million tonnes of oil and 5 billion cubic metres of gas. The discovery was described as the largest conventional oil deposit in Poland’s history.
To assess its size more precisely, CEP is drilling another well, Wolin West 1. According to reports from October, the Valaris 123 jack-up rig arrived in the work area at the beginning of the month. The field still has to be documented and approved by the Polish Mineral Resources Committee, which requires additional drilling.
Allegations from the German side
The German organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe points out that the operator’s own documents describe the risk of large oil spills on the coast and high mortality of birds and fish in the event of a serious accident. The organisation also claims that the number of harbour porpoises, a strictly protected species, has already fallen during exploratory drilling.
Concerns have been raised by the municipality of Heringsdorf on the island of Usedom. Its mayor, Laura Isabelle Marisken, spoke of a threat to the Baltic ecosystem. The municipality and environmental organisations also point to tourism: rigs visible from the beaches could harm the region’s image. German organisations have collected more than 88,000 signatures for a demand to ban oil and gas extraction near the border and do not rule out legal action.
Dispute over procedures
German environmental authorities believe that projects that may affect the environment of a neighbouring country require prior notification and transboundary consultations. The Polish side responds that the concession was issued in accordance with national regulations. Commercial extraction is still far off — first the drilling results, field documentation and further administrative decisions are needed.
Oil is already extracted in the Baltic by Orlen Petrobaltic, from the B3 and B8 deposits, but these lie in a different part of the Polish maritime area.
