Poland’s largest fuel and petrochemical group, Orlen, has switched on a new photovoltaic farm next to its refinery in Mazeikiai, Lithuania, marking the largest on-site renewable power installation in the group. The solar plant, with a capacity of 42.2 MW, is expected to generate about 45 GWh of electricity per year for Orlen Lietuva.
The facility occupies around 60 hectares inside the refinery complex and is made up of nearly 68,000 bifacial solar modules with a peak rating of 620 W each. Since the panels can absorb sunlight from both sides, their output remains higher even in less favourable light conditions.
The energy produced on site will cover roughly 7 percent of the refinery’s annual electricity demand. That should allow Orlen Lietuva to reduce spending on purchased power by about EUR 4 million every year. The total cost of the project reached almost EUR 35 million, including EUR 2.5 million from the European Union’s Modernisation Fund.
A step toward cutting costs and emissions
– For the first time, we will independently produce renewable electricity for the refinery in Mazeikiai. This is an important step in reducing our environmental impact, but also concrete support for the plant’s cost efficiency. Thanks to this investment, a larger part of the energy used by Orlen Lietuva will come from our own renewable source, which truly strengthens the competitiveness of the company and fits into the long-term strategy of the Orlen Group – said Dariusz Zonenberg, general director of Orlen Lietuva.
Polish engineering and a long-term bet on Lithuania
The project was delivered by Electrum, a company based in Bialystok. Its role highlights how Polish technological know-how contributed to a scheme that strengthens the energy security of the refinery.
Orlen’s presence in Mazeikiai goes back to 2006. Since then, the group has spent approximately EUR 4.5 billion on acquiring and modernising the refinery. Orlen Lietuva has become a key player in Lithuania’s economy, a major regional employer and the country’s largest taxpayer.
The company also runs the Butynga terminal, a vital link in the raw material supply chain, and the Mockava rail terminal, which supports exports of products to Poland and Ukraine.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Orlen press materials
