safety - PKN Orlen

PKN ORLEN as a responsible citizen
Leszek Wieciech
General Director,
Polish Organisation of Oil Industry and Trade
Do you think that the oil industry has
to face any specific challenges in order
to develop in a sustainable manner due to its
specific character?
The challenges facing the oil industry in the area
of sustainable development could well
be described as extreme. On the one hand,
the global economy relies to a large extent
on crude oil supplies and consumers consider
unlimited mobility to be one of their basic rights
but, on the other hand, the society and legislators
insist, as they should, on limiting hazardous
emissions, including CO 2
emissions.
The European oil industry accepted the challenge
of supplying fuel and other products with as little
negative environmental impact as possible: since
1990, the energy efficiency factor has been
growing by 1% a year. For several years now, outdated
uncomplicated refinery systems have been
gradually replaced with modern comprehensive
units capable of thorough processing of crude oil.
In terms of modernisation, Polish refineries
are among leaders not only in Europe,
but worldwide.
PKN ORLEN’s participation in public life means also its lobbying
policy in Poland and in Europe, which is conducted
in a legal, conscious and fully transparent way. The Company
bases its activities on direct lobbying, through active
involvement of its own experts and indi rectly, through sectoral
and environmental organisations to which it belongs.
The main principles of PKN ORLEN lobbying policy include
the principle of lobbying ethics, sustainable development,
coordination, dialogue and adjustment.
In 2010, the Company was particularly actively involved
in issues related to increased safety of fuel supplies, fuel
and energy market regulations, promoting renewable
energy sources, investing in the energy sector, the energy
and environment package, protecting the natural
environment, establishing corporate governance policies
and taxes in the fuel and energy sector.
It should also be noted that the Company was involved
in preparing legal regulations concerning mandatory
oil and liquid fuel reserves, liberalisation of the rules
of creating mandatory natural gas reserves, new requirements
concerning the quality of liquid fuels, new
The European oil industry has released a number
of new fuels that cause much lower emission
of hazardous substances (sulphur, lead, aromatic
hydrocarbons and benzene). It was possible thanks
to cooperation with the automotive industry
and researchers and, most importantly, thanks
to huge expenditure made by the oil companies.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the European
fuel industry is a major employer in the EU,
with appr. 100,000 people working in refineries
and 500,000 – in marketing and logistics, some
of whom are highly qualified specialists, engineers
and researchers.
To sum up, it is right to say that the European
fuel sector has become one of the leaders
of sustainable development.
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