PKN Orlen will more than double its base oil production capacity by the end of 2026 with the startup of a new heavy base oil unit at its Gdansk refinery, a company spokesperson told Lube Report.
Orlen, one of Central Europe’s largest base oil producers, manufactures API Group I base oils at its Plock, Gdansk and Jedlicze refineries. Its portfolio includes solvent neutral 100, SN150, SN500 and SN650 grades used in automotive, industrial and process lubricants.
The company has invested heavily in expanding its base oil business, including a hydrocracker project in Gdansk that will produce more than 400,000 metric tons per year of Group II base oils. The facility will market its products under the Amber Base Group II brand.
“Production of base oils is continuing and no decision has been made to cease production,” the spokesperson said. “There are no plans under consideration to discontinue base oil production.”
Following the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran, some refiners redirected vacuum gas oil feedstocks into higher-margin transport fuels. Orlen said its strategy remains unchanged.
“We remain fully committed to base oils and to the customers and partners who rely on them.”
Orlen has started up a hydrotreated vegetable oil plant in Plock, Poland, with a rated annual output of about 300,000 tons — a move the company says cuts its reliance on third-party blending components and supports compliance with the European Union’s RED III framework and Poland’s 10% biofuel quota. The PLN 800 million-plus (U.S. $215.8 million) investment lifts the group’s total biofuel capacity to roughly 700,000 t/y, with a target of 1.1 million t/y by 2030.