A scheduled emergency drill took place on Tuesday, September 22, at the ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s Kralupy refinery. The scenario for the practical drill was a simulated propylene leak during the loading of a rail tank car at the liquid gas storage facility. The goal of the drill was to test the effectiveness of the internal emergency plan, the up-to-date status of operational and safety documentation, employee preparedness for an emergency, and cooperation between operations, emergency response teams, relevant authorities, and external partners. The drill also included a partial evacuation of personnel.
“The safe operation of both of our refineries is our top priority. That is why we conduct large-scale emergency drills at each of them every year. I am pleased to report that during this drill, we confirmed that our established procedures work in practice and that individual teams across the company and beyond are able to communicate with one another quickly and effectively,” says Milan Brejchal, a member of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s Board of Directors responsible for production.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the only domestic oil refiner and is classified as part of the country’s critical infrastructure. The law requires the company to review its emergency plan once every three years; however, ORLEN Unipetrol conducts tactical emergency drills at both the Litvínov and Kralupy refineries annually.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on oil processing and the production, distribution, and sale of fuels and petrochemical products, particularly plastics and fertilizers. It is a major player in all these areas on the Czech and Central European markets. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, research center in Brno and the engineering design company ORLEN Projekt. ORLEN Unipetrol also owns the ORLEN network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs over 3,500 people. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a socially responsible company, particularly in the areas of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. A testament to the high quality of employee care is the prestigious international Top Employer certification, which the Group received in 2023, 2024 and 2025, along with several national awards. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, the largest energy company in Central Europe.
Contact: Pavel Kaidl,
spokesperson, telephone: +420 736 502 520, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz