• Revenue of CZK 209.5 billion
• Net profit of CZK 17.9 billion
• High investment at CZK 9.2 billion
• Development of retail activities in Slovakia and Hungary
In 2022, the refining and petrochemical group ORLEN Unipetrol reported revenue of CZK 209.5 billion. The Group’s net profit amounted to CZK 17.9 billion. ORLEN Unipetrol also continued to implement its intensive investment plan, investing CZK 9.2 billion in the past year. In the retail segment, ORLEN Unipetrol continued developing the ORLEN Benzina network in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and, newly, in Hungary.
“The financial results were positively affected by our investment activities in the previous years. We have invested CZK 50 billion over the past five years. We managed to maintain a high investment rate even during the challenging years of the Covid pandemic when we sank into a loss of CZK 6 billion in 2020. Now, we are reaping the harvest of our efforts. At the same time, the positive macroeconomic situation in the refining segment also contributed to our financial results,” said Tomasz Wiatrak, CEO of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group. He added: “I am delighted that we could act as a stabilising element of the Czech economy during the challenging and unstable year 2022. We secured continued production and fuel supplies for the Czech market, thus significantly contributing to the sufficient fuel amounts in the Czech market throughout the year. We are ready to continue these efforts in 2023, too.”
In 2022, the volume of processed crude oil stood at 7.5 million tonnes. The sale of refining products totalled 6.1 million tonnes, and the sale of petrochemical products amounted to two million tonnes. The total investment of CZK 9.2 billion went to the ongoing modernisation of manufacturing technologies in both refineries, revitalisation of the partial hydrogen oxidation unit, construction of a brand-new DCPD production unit, the 11th cracking furnace of the steam cracker, and development of the retail network of filling stations in Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. As part of building its recycling capacities, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group also invested in REMAQ, the most significant mechanic recycling provider in Central Europe, which was integrated within the Group. As a result, ORLEN Unipetrol expects that up to 20% of its petrochemical production will be made up of recycled materials in 2030.
“We continue implementing the key projects of our strategic development plan until 2030, where we focus on modernisation, decarbonisation, digitalisation, and reinforcement of the petrochemical segment. In the retail segment, we entered Hungary through acquisitions and significantly boosted our market share in Slovakia. Furthermore, we are analysing further investments,” Tomasz Wiatrak added.
In retail, the Group also continued investments in modernising and developing the network of ORLEN Benzina filling stations, the largest chain in the Czech Republic with 431 outlets. The Stop Cafe fast food concept is available at 334 sites. The Group is also seeking to expand the electromobility infrastructure. At the end of 2022, it operated charging posts at 55 filling stations, being thus at the top among the chains active in the Czech market. A significant development occurred in the Slovak and Hungarian markets. In Slovakia, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group ran 51 stations in its retail network at the end of 2022. Thanks to acquisitions, ORLEN Unipetrol also entered the Hungarian retail segment last year, registering 79 sites in its network.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. It belongs among the key players on the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina filling station network in the Czech Republic and a network of ORLEN outlets in Slovakia and Hungary. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became a member of the ORLEN Group, the largest multi-energy company in Central Europe. ORLEN Unipetrol employs almost 6,000 people and is active in corporate social responsibility. It seeks to promote initiatives that cultivate and support sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment.