PKN Orlen will choose a contractor for the gas block of the Ostrołęka C Power Plant within a few months. The company has already signed a partnership agreement with PGNiG. – There is no return to Ostrołęka C based on coal – emphasized Daniel Obajtek, CEO of PKN Orlen, referring in this way to the postulate of mining unions in Silesia.
The settlement of the construction of the coal-fired unit in Ostrołęka, the implementation of which was suspended last year, is still ongoing. Among the unconfirmed amounts, there is a number of about PLN 1 billion allocated for this investment. The new owner of Energa, PKN Orlen, has decided to reformat the project and replace coal with gas. However, the contractor of the new block is still not known. This, however, is expected to change in the near future. – The contractor of Ostrołęka C will be known soon, in a few months. We want to make it in time, and there are a few more issues – said Daniel Obajtek.
At the same time, Daniel Obajtek emphasized that there is no turning back and there is no possibility of changing the project from gas to coal, which is what trade unions are trying to negotiate a social contract with the government to close the mining industry in Poland. – This topic is already behind us. We have an investment agreement and PGNiG is a partner. We go further. There is no economic justification or possibility to go in this direction (coal block – ed.). We represent shareholders’ money and we must respect them. There is no way Ostrołęka C will return to coal technology – he said.
At the end of 2020, PKN Orlen announced that it had acquired a partner for the investment in the gas and steam block in Ostrołęka, which will be PGNiG. The trilateral agreement gives PKN Orlen and Energa a leading position in the project, with a total stake of 51 percent. PGNiG will acquire 49 percent of the shares.