Orlen, Poland’s largest oil company, is considering new investments in Lithuania, such as the construction of a wind farm in the Baltic Sea and the production of green hydrogen.

These were among the topics of Wednesday’s meeting between Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and ORLEN CEO Ireneusz Fąfara.

– We are looking for new development opportunities, especially in the area of renewable energy. This expansion will not only provide stable energy sources, but will also help us get closer to decarbonizing the company’s operations, Orlen CEO Ireneusz Fąfara said in a statement.

The meeting was also attended by Marek Paweł Golębiewski, head of Orlen Lietuva’s oil import and refining company, as well as Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys.

Orlen Lietuva is currently implementing its largest investment project – worth €970 million – for the modernization of the Mažeikiai refinery. The project, whose general contractor is the UK-based Petrofac International, is expected to be completed in September 2025.

Orlen-owned Orlen Neptun took part in the first tender for a 700 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea in Lithuania last year, but offered only the minimum price of €5 million and did not win the project.

– We are considering participating in the competition. That’s one of the reasons I’m here in Vilnius – to discuss what’s going on, what the future of the competition for offshore wind farms is. Yes, we are considering it, Fafara told BNS agency after meeting with Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte and Energy Minister Dainius Kreivis.

ORLEN Lietuva is the largest tax payer in Lithuania. Since 2006, ORLEN has spent nearly $4.5 billion to purchase and modernize the refinery. ORLEN directly employs about 1,500 people, being the most important employer in the Mažeikiai region and one of the key employers in Lithuania. ORLEN also owns a terminal in Butinga, through which crude oil is imported – a very important pillar in the supply chain, and the Mockava terminal, a transshipment station used to export products to Poland and Ukraine.

Source: LRT.LT & BNS & Orlen