ORLEN is significantly strengthening its biofuel production capacity. The group has launched a modern hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) installation in Płock, with an annual capacity of around 300,000 tonnes. The project supports the development of a domestic value chain based on local feedstocks. Worth more than PLN 800 million, the installation supports transport decarbonisation goals and increases the group’s independence from external supplies of biocomponents.
“The HVO installation genuinely strengthens Poland’s fuel security. Its launch gives ORLEN greater control over a key area of the biofuels market. We are increasing our own production of advanced biocomponents, strengthening cost efficiency and reducing our dependence on the volatility of the external market. This investment is further proof that professional management of the group can bring benefits to the company, its shareholders and our suppliers. We have corrected mistakes made in the past so that this installation can develop the domestic value chain — from feedstocks to finished fuels — and thereby support the Polish economy,” says Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
HVO installation: lower emissions and higher production
The HVO installation, whose production will initially be directed to the domestic market, can process rapeseed oil, used cooking oils (UCO) and their blends, among other feedstocks, producing high-quality biocomponents for road transport. HVO production reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% compared with conventional fuels.
The launch of the installation increases ORLEN Group’s production potential to around 700,000 tonnes of biofuels per year, with a plan to reach 1.1 million tonnes by 2030. The investment supports the implementation of the National Indicative Target (NCW), which stands at 10% in Poland in 2026, and reduces the need to import biocomponents under the RED III regulatory framework.
The installation is part of ORLEN’s strategy to maximise the use of existing refinery assets by processing feedstocks of biological origin. The group has also prepared two diesel hydrodesulphurisation units in Płock for the co-hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which will allow their processing capacity to be increased by more than 100,000 tonnes per year, including rapeseed oil and UCO.
Benefits for farmers
ORLEN is implementing the largest biofuel investment programme in Poland, which will provide the group with access to key biocomponents. At the same time, ORLEN is developing the “Catch Crops for Biofuels” programme, based on a local content approach and the construction of a domestic value chain.
The programme integrates farmers, industry and technology partners, supporting the development of domestic feedstocks, particularly for second-generation biofuels, which are ultimately expected to supply the HVO installation. This will ensure supply stability, strengthen Polish agriculture and reduce the carbon footprint of the entire process.
ORLEN already spends around PLN 5 billion each year on purchasing feedstocks from Polish farmers for domestic biofuel production.
