ORLEN ends ties with Russian oil, securing energy independence for entire region
The ORLEN Group has taken consistent steps toward strengthening the energy security of Poland and the wider region. Since March 2025, all of the Group’s refineries have been supplied exclusively with crude oil sourced outside of Russia. The final contract for Russian oil deliveries expired at the end of June, marking the complete elimination of Russian crude from ORLEN’s supply chain. This means that ORLEN – and, by extension, the entire region – is no longer bound by any agreements with Russian entities for the supply of oil.
"We have concluded the last legacy contract for Russian crude deliveries to the Czech Republic. As of 1 July 2025, the ORLEN Group – and, through this, our entire region – will be free from Russian oil. We have closed this chapter and are jointly building a secure future for Central and Eastern Europe. Today, we purchase crude oil from across the globe. Our refineries process feedstock from the Middle East and Persian Gulf, the North Sea, Africa, and both Americas. This is what real energy security looks like, the one we promised to Polish citizens and neighbours,” says Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO and President of the ORLEN Management Board.
“Ending the ORLEN Group’s reliance on Russian energy resources was made possible through strong partnerships, especially with transmission system operators. Their cooperation has enabled us to bring in oil and gas from alternative sources. However, this success ultimately stems from our own determination, exemplified by strategic contracts to secure new transmission capacities,” he adds.
The contract with Rosneft, which ended on 30 June 2025, was the final agreement linking ORLEN to Russian crude. Earlier, ORLEN had already terminated all contracts for deliveries to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, and had ceased importing Russian oil by sea. Since April 2023, 100% of the crude processed by ORLEN’s Polish and Lithuanian refineries has originated from non-Russian sources.
The recently expired contract, signed twelve years ago, covered deliveries to ORLEN’s refinery in Litvínov, the Czech Republic. The Group’s second Czech refinery in Kralupy had already been processing only non-Russian crude. However, due to limited pipeline infrastructure capable of bringing oil from alternative directions, the Litvínov plant remained dependent on supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. Following Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, the Czech government requested a temporary exemption from EU sanctions to continue importing Russian crude, in order to maintain stable supply to the Czech fuel market.
The responsibility for developing and maintaining the Czech Republic’s pipeline infrastructure lies with the state-owned company MERO. The EU exemption granted MERO time to expand the capacity of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) toward the Czech Republic. The TAL facilitates crude deliveries by sea to the Italian port of Trieste, from where the oil is transported overland through Austria and Germany.
During this period, ORLEN prepared the Litvínov refinery, which had historically relied solely on Russian crude, for processing alternative grades of oil. The Company carried out extensive technological upgrades and tested a variety of crude blends. As a result, beginning in March 2025, following the launch of the TAL Plus extension, ORLEN transitioned fully to alternative supplies. Today, the Czech refineries process crude sourced from various regions, including the North Sea, the Mediterranean, Saudi Arabia, South and North America, and Africa.