Loading a record 8,423 tankers with over 149,500 metric tons of LNG at the Świnoujście terminal, the company surpassed its 2022 figures, where 5,357 tankers were dispatched.
Orlen marked the year by a record number of tanker dispatches and an increase in sales of approximately 57 percent year-over-year, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Daniel Obajtek, CEO of Orlen, highlighted this achievement, saying that over 3,000 additional tankers were loaded in 2023 compared to 2022.
This growth is attributed to the company's continuous efforts in enhancing its commercial offerings and optimizing logistics to meet the rising demand for small-scale LNG from both industrial and municipal customers.
Orlen, Poland's largest company, is a multi-energy conglomerate with interests in refining, petrochemicals, hydrocarbon exploration, and renewable energy. It is also actively involved in the development of nuclear energy and plans to launch at least one small modular reactor (SMR) by 2030.
A major factor in Orlen's success has been the diversification of its supply sources, including LNG imports from the United States, Qatar and Norway, according to executives.
The Świnoujście terminal, a key point for Orlen’s LNG sales, marked a milestone by dispatching its 30,000th tanker on Monday.
Small-scale LNG, delivered in liquid form using tanker trucks and cryogenic containers, is increasingly being used to meet the needs of isolated gas systems and areas where gas demands exceed pipeline capacities.
In addition to the Świnoujście terminal, Orlen operates LNG facilities in Grodzisk Wielkopolski and Odolanów in west-central Poland, and a loading station in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The total volume of small-scale LNG sales, including all these points, reached nearly 200,000 tons last year.
Orlen's expansion in the global gas market is further bolstered by its growing fleet of gas carriers. Recently, two more vessels, Święta Barbara and Ignacy Łukasiewicz, had their naming ceremonies at the Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea.
The fleet already includes Lech Kaczyński and Grażyna Gęsicka, and is expected to expand to eight vessels.
This growth in the LNG market supports Poland's economic transformation, where natural gas plays a vital role in providing energy.
The use of natural gas, particularly for heating and industrial purposes, is preferred due to its lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduced contribution to smog, compared to solid fuels, while diversification of sources has removed the country's reliance on imports of Russian gas.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP