Natural capital

In production processes we use renewable resources (air, water, esters, bioethanol) and non-renewable ones (crude oil, natural gas and auxiliary chemicals).

• Generation of electricity in hydropower plants and wind farms owned by the Energa Group and ORLEN Wind 3. Green energy is also generated in biomass combustion installations (at Energa Elektrownie Ostrołęka and Energa Kogeneracja) and three solar photovoltaic farms.
• Renewables account for more than 0.6 GWe of installed electrical capacity and close to 0.1 GWeof installed thermal capacity at the ORLEN Group.
• The ORLEN Group is potentially the largest gas consumer in Poland and one of the largest in the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Natural gas is used by the Group in the production of heat, electricity, fuels and fertilizers. In Poland, the ORLEN Group’s combined potential for natural gas consumption exceeds 3 bcm per year.
• The ORLEN Group has 2P crude oil and natural gas reserves in Poland and Canada, amounting to 171.4 mboe at the end of 2021..
• ORLEN Group’s upstream assets:
  • At the end of 2021, the ORLEN Group held, on its own or with a partner (PGNiG), 14 exploration and appraisal licences in 6 provinces in Poland, covering a total area of almost 9,400 sq. km;
  • In Alberta, Canada, the ORLEN Group is a recognised operator and holds exploration and production assets covering a total area of approximately 341,400 acres (approximately 1,400 sq. km) gross, and approximately 266.8 acres (approximately 1,100 sq. km) net, i.e. calculated based on the size of interest.
• ORLEN Group’s production plants and fuel terminals in Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania cover an area of over 4,300 hectares.
• Energa Group’s distribution network consists of power lines with a total length of 193,000 km, covering approximately one quarter of the Poland’s territory.

• The ORLEN Group’s environmental objectives are defined in the ORLEN 2030 strategy and the Integrated Management System Policy .
• In 2021, the Management Board of PKN ORLEN adopted the ORLEN Group Sustainable Development Strategy for 2021–2023 .
• The ORLEN 2030 Strategy includes the commitment to the Group’s long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and identifies the projects supporting delivery of this goal.

For more information on natural capital, see ‘Environment and climate’.

For information on the environmental projects and activities carried out at the ORLEN Group in 2020, see ‘Environment and climate’.

Production activities, which entail the use of non-renewable energy sources, emissions, waste and wastewater generation, exert an impact on natural capital. Reducing its environmental footprint and climate impact is one of the ORLEN Group’s top priorities. Activities in this domain contribute to the development of other capitals, including the intellectual and manufactured capitals.

In 2020, the ORLEN Group was joined by the Energa Group, with its more than 50 renewable generation assets, mainly across the hydro, onshore wind and solar PV segments.  

PKN ORLEN has declared its intention to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In furtherance of this goal, the Group aims to reduce carbon emissions from its existing refinery and petrochemical assets by 20% and cut down carbon emissions per megawatt-hour of electricity by 33% by 2030.

The net zero emissions strategy is based on four pillars: energy efficiency in production, zero-carbon power generation, fuels of the future, and green finance.

Projects implemented under the carbon neutrality strategy are expected to be partly financed with green and sustainability bonds issued by PKN ORLEN on the European market.