Orlen set to build its first hydrogen refuelling stations
PKN Orlen has commenced the process of selecting a contractor for its hydrogen refuelling stations, with the first stations serving buses and passenger cars to be deployed in Poznań and Katowice.
"We strongly believe alternative fuels will play an increasingly important role in advancing the automotive industry. We want to spearhead the process, so we are focusing on building hydrogen hubs, and hydrogen technologies are a key element of the ORLEN2030 strategy," said Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN Orlen Management Board.
"We believe hydrogen has the greatest potential as a fuel in public transport. Poznań and Katowice, the two cities where our first hydrogen refuelling stations will be located, are examples of good collaboration between PKN ORLEN and local governments that benefits both business and the environment."
Driving progress in the production and distribution of alternative fuels is a cornerstone of the ORLEN2030 strategy, and deployment of the refuelling stations is an element of the Orlen Group’s comprehensive hydrogen programme. The refuelling station locations were selected as a result of agreements made with local governments interested in developing zero-emission public transport.
Once operational, the project powered by hydrogen produced at the Orlen Group will supply fuel for commercial use by municipal transport systems. Demand at each location is estimated to be between 450 kg and 600 kg of hydrogen per day, depending on the size of the bus fleet.
Hydrogen deployment
Deployment of the first hydrogen refuelling stations in Poland is a result of the Orlen Group’s consistent efforts to implement an alternative fuels development programme providing for the construction of hydrogen hubs in Trzebinia, Włocławek and Płock with target production capacities in excess of 1,000 kg of high-purity hydrogen per hour.
The modular design of the infrastructure will allow the Group to flexibly respond to shifts in customer demand. In building the hydrogen infrastructure, PKN Orlen draws on process safety knowledge and experience gained over several decades of using hydrogen in its oil refining and petrochemical processes. PKN Orlens refuelling station network will be rolled out building on its experience gained in Germany – two hydrogen refuelling points have been in operation at Orlen stations in that country since 2017.
Also, the Group is at an advanced stage of deployment of three hydrogen stations in the Czech Republic. Two stations, in Prague and Litvinov, are due to start commercial operation by the end of 2021, with further stations, on the D10 motorway in Prague, Brno and Plzeň, to open in 2022.
Most ethical company
PKN Orlen is a leading player in the fuels and energy markets, and the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe, listed in global rankings such as Fortune Global 500, Platts TOP250 and Thompson Reuters TOP100. The ORLEN Group operates in 6 home markets – Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia and Canada.
The Group owns state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure capable of processing more than 35 million tonnes of various crude oil types per annum, marketing its products through the CEE region’s largest network of over 2,800 modern service stations.
PKN Orlen’s offering includes over 50 top-quality petrochemical and refining products sold in more than 90 countries throughout the world.
For the last few years, Orlen has been recognised as the most valuable brand in Poland, and is also the only company in the region that has been awarded the prestigious title of The Most Ethical Company for the eighth time in a row by the American Ethisphere Institute.
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