ORLEN in the Czech Republic: two decades of dynamic growth
It has been twenty years since ORLEN took ownership of Unipetrol. In that time, through modernisation and expansion of its production facilities and retail network, the Czech company has doubled its revenue, grown its market share, and become a key contributor to the country’s fuel security. Unipetrol maintains close ties with the academic community, develops new technologies, and is actively working toward reducing the carbon footprint of its operations.
“Unipetrol is one of the key companies within the ORLEN Group. Our long-standing commitment demonstrates that, with consistency and strong partnerships, we can not only achieve our business goals but also bring tangible benefits to the Czech economy and the broader region. Over the past two decades, we have invested more than PLN 20 billion into Unipetrol. We have built a company that is ready to meet market challenges and ensure secure fuel supplies. We intend to consistently strengthen Unipetrol’s position and expand into new areas,” said Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO and President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
Since ORLEN acquired Unipetrol in 2005, the Czech company has doubled its revenue, which reached CZK 163 billion last year. Over the same period, the volume of processed crude oil rose by more than 57%, to 6.6 million tonnes. The number of service stations offering fuels produced by the company’s refineries increased from 305 to 441. The stations owned by ORLEN Unipetrol now operate under the ORLEN brand, making the Czech Republic the second-largest retail market of the ORLEN Group. Today, Unipetrol holds nearly 30% of the Czech fuel retail market, up from just 11% in 2005.
“Over the last 20 years, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group has established itself as a major force in both the Czech and European markets, an attractive employer, an innovation leader, a considerate corporate neighbour in the communities where it operates, a reliable partner to the Czech state, and one of the cornerstones of its economy,” said Mariusz Wnuk, President of the Management Board of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, adding: “We fully recognise the importance of our role and are committed to fulfilling it, not only during times of prosperity, but also amid today’s complex geopolitical and economic challenges.”
Over the past 20 years, the ORLEN Group has invested more than CZK 121 billion in the Czech Republic. Its largest single investment was the launch of a state-of-the-art high-density polyethylene plant in Litvínov in 2021. The material produced by the facility is used for manufacturing items like food packaging and automotive parts. The project cost nearly CZK 10 billion. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a major European producer of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), a liquid hydrocarbon used in polymers, resins, adhesives, dyes, packaging, and optical fibres, accounting for 20% of Europe's DCPD production capacities.
ORLEN Unipetrol ranks among the largest companies in the Czech Republic by revenue and employs over 5,000 people. The Group operates refineries in Litvínov and Kralupy on Vltava, Paramo plants in Pardubice, Spolana plants in Neratovice, and REMAQ plants in Otrokovice, a research centre in Brno, logistics companies ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava and Petrotrans, and the engineering and design company ORLEN Projekt. Over the past 20 years, it has contributed more than CZK 15 billion to the Czech state budget. The Group also holds a majority stake in the ice hockey club HC VERVA Litvínov, which won the Czech national championship in 2015.
ORLEN Unipetrol operates the ORLEN-branded service station networks in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. With 441 stations and a market share of nearly 30% in Czech fuel sales, it is the market leader and a major innovator. ORLEN has invested tens of billions of Czech koruna into upgrading its retail infrastructure in the country. In 2006, it introduced its premium VERVA fuels, followed in 2016 by the launch of the Stop Café food and beverage concept, now available at 358 stations. ORLEN has also rolled out new fuel types with cleaning properties: EFECTA DIESEL and EFECTA 95. In 2020, it launched a unique mobile app offering payment functionality and a customer loyalty scheme.
In subsequent years, the ORLEN network expanded into the Slovak and Hungarian markets. It now includes 97 stations in Slovakia and 139 in Hungary and is among the fastest-growing networks with strong growth potential in both countries. Building on its deep expertise in the retail sector, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group significantly expanded its role in 2025. Beyond managing ORLEN stations in Hungary and Slovakia, it became the ORLEN Group’s competence centre for the development of convenience retail across its entire network, comprising more than 3,500 service stations in seven countries.
In line with the broader ORLEN Group’s strategy, Unipetrol aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. By 2030, it plans to reduce its emissions by 25% relative to 2019. These goals are supported by investments totalling CZK 35 billion, directed toward decarbonisation, improved energy efficiency, a stronger focus on renewable energy, plastic recycling, advanced biofuels, and digital transformation.
On 4 June 2004, a contract was signed between ORLEN, the National Property Fund, and the Czech Consolidation Agency for the sale of a 63% majority stake in the petrochemical group Unipetrol to ORLEN. A year later, the European Commission approved the takeover under EU merger rules. The acquisition was finalised in 2005. Over the following years, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group consolidated the Czech refining sector, gradually acquiring shares in various companies and integrating them into a single entity, ORLEN Unipetrol RPA. The integration process was completed in 2018.
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