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Polish refiner says EU ban on Russian oil won’t affect its supplies

04.05.2022 20:30
Poland’s largest refiner PKN Orlen has said that a proposed phased ban on Russian oil in Europe will not affect its ability to supply customers in the region.
PKN Orlens warehouse base in Mościska, central Poland.
PKN Orlen's warehouse base in Mościska, central Poland.PAP/Paweł Supernak

The state-run company's declaration came in a statement shared with the PAP news agency on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the head of the European Union’s executive, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed a phased embargo on Russian oil in response to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

She told the European Parliament in Strasbourg: "Today, we will propose to ban all Russian oil from Europe," adding: "This will be a complete import ban on all Russia." 

Brussels’ plan includes phasing out supplies of Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of 2022, while minimising the impact on European economies, the Reuters news agency reported.

The proposed EU ban on Russian oil needs to be approved by the 27 member states before it can take effect.

‘PKN Orlen will maintain stable provision of oil'

The Polish refiner said in its statement: “When supplies from the East are ceased, PKN Orlen will maintain stable provision of oil not only to Poland, but to the whole Central and Eastern Europe.”

It added: “The company is prepared for every scenario and will act in compliance with international sanctions.”

PKN Orlen said that the diversification of oil sources and the stability of supplies “has been our priority over the last four years.”

During that period, the company has “brought in and processed 100 various brands of oil from outside Russia,” the statement added.

Russian supplies currently account for 30 percent of the oil processed by PKN Orlen, the company said.

PKN Orlen has six refineries in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, processing 29.5 million metric tons of oil per year, the PAP news agency reported.

Wednesday was day 70 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, orlen.pl