​On 29 May 2019, ORLEN Południe signed an agreement for the construction of an organic propylene glycol production unit in Trzebinia. It is the first facility of this kind in Poland. The new unit will produce 30,000 tons of propylene glycol a year, which will meet as much as 75% of the demand for this product in Poland.
 
Propylene glycol is an ecological, environmentally friendly product. It is used, among others, in medicine, cosmetics and food industry. The investment will be implemented by a Consortium comprising two Polish companies and its cost is estimated at approx. PLN 400 million.
“As announced, we are developing and through investments made we are strengthening the companies operating in the ORLEN Group. The construction of the first eco-glycol production unit in Poland is an important step in the process of transforming the plant in Trzebinia into a modern biorefinery. We give priority to ecological, high-margin products,” says Daniel Obajtek, President of PKN ORLEN Management Board.
 
The investment in Trzebinia is to be completed in 2021. Its contractor will be a Consortium comprising two Polish companies: Technik Polska Sp. z o.o. and Biproraf Sp. z o.o. The agreement signed covers: design, deliveries and construction, under the turnkey system, of a propylene glycol production unit (1.2 – MPG) along with auxiliary installations and additional infrastructure.
 
The construction of the first ecological propylene glycol production unit in Poland will strengthen ORLEN Południe’s position in the domestic bio-components market as well as its image in the region as an employer. As of today, the Company employs over 650 people, of which more than a half are employed at the Trzebinia refinery. Once the unit is commissioned, i.e. in 2021, several dozen new jobs will be created.
 
The production of propylene glycol will enable the use of glycerine made in Trzebinia, which is obtained in the production of biodiesel, primarily from rapeseed oil. Also other Polish biodiesel producers will benefit from the investment, as after its completion ORLEN Południe is to commence cooperation in the area of glycerine supplies.
 
The investment is a consequence of the company’s stable financial situation. In 2018, ORLEN Południe achieved a net result of PLN 89 million. The construction of the propylene glycol production unit, as the first investment in the history of ORLEN Południe, has been qualified by the Krakow Technology Park to the Polish Investment Zone programme.
 
Apart from Polish ones, also foreign companies are to be the consignees of propylene glycol.