Polish biofuels producer ORLEN has launched a plant to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in Płock, Poland.
The facility, which involved an investment of PLN 800M (US$218M), had a capacity to produce approximately 300,000 tonnes/year of HVO from rapeseed oil and used cooking oil (UCO) or their mixtures, the company said on 25 May.
The commissioning of the plant increased the ORLEN Group’s production potential to approximately 700,000 tonnes/year of biofuels, with plans to increase to 1.1M tonnes by 2030.
“The launch gives ORLEN more control over a key area of the biofuels market. We are increasing our own production of advanced bio-components, strengthening cost efficiency and becoming independent of the volatility of the external market,” said Ireneusz Fąfara, president of the ORLEN management board.
The company has also established two diesel hydro-desulphurisation units in Płock for the co-hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which would increase rapeseed and UCO processing by over 100,000 tonnes/year.
In addition, ORLEN said it was developing a “Catch crops for biofuels” programme, to integrate farmers, industry and technology partners in supporting the development of domestic raw materials – particularly for second-generation biofuels – which would ultimately power the HVO plant.
ORLEN supplies energy, fuel and petrochemical products in more than 100 countries. The company’s activities include oil and natural gas extraction, the processing and sale of petroleum products and energy generation and distribution.
ORLEN aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and by the end of 2035, the company plans to invest more than US$90bn in strategic projects, of which approximately 40% will be allocated to low-carbon investments, in areas such as offshore and onshore wind energy, photovoltaics, biogas and biomethane, biofuels, electromobility, CO₂ capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies, low-carbon and renewable hydrogen, and synthetic fuels.
