Poland: EIB extends over €200 million to ORLEN Group to advance energy transition

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• EIB lends ORLEN PLN 900 million for power network upgrades by subsidiary Energa.
• First tranche from a total of PLN 3.5 billion granted by the EIB to beef up Energa’s grid.
• Backed by REPowerEU, new financing will allow more renewable energy sources online.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and ORLEN Group, Poland’s largest energy company, signed a PLN 900 million loan agreement for projects supporting energy transition. The funds will be used to invest in strengthening and expanding the power grid of Energa, a distribution system operator majority owned by ORLEN. This new EIB support will help modernise electricity distribution in northern and central Poland, as well as allowing to connect more renewable energy sources (RES). The loan comes as the first under a total of PLN 3.5 billion in financing approved by the EIB to boost Energa’s network in 2024-25.

“This new transaction reaffirms the EIB’s role as a trusted partner of multidimensional energy transition in Poland,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “As the climate bank of the European Union, the EIB supports strategic investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, as well as stability and security of supply. We expect this seventh EIB financing agreement with ORLEN to further these objectives.”

EIB funding will support Energa’s investment plan designed to improve security and efficiency of power supply. This entails adding new customers and increasing RES connection capacity by about 4.8 GW, as well as modernising the distribution network, upgrading distribution assets, and investing in smart grid components, including smart metering.

“Achieving carbon neutrality requires not only a shift in generation sources but also significant improvements in operational efficiency. The rollout of distributed generation, demand-supply balancing, and energy storage represent crucial challenges for Poland’s economy. Effective energy management can provide a substantial competitive edge for both the Polish and broader European economies. Hence, large-scale investment programmes to upgrade our network are vital. The financing provided by the European Investment Bank will allow us to address these priorities while strengthening Poland’s energy security,” said Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board and CEO of ORLEN.

The agreement between the EIB and ORLEN Group was concluded under REPowerEU, an EU programme aimed at increasing strategic autonomy of the bloc by diversifying energy supply and accelerating the green transition. By 2027, the EIB will provide €45 billion in loans and equity financing to advance REPowerEU objectives.

EIB financing in Poland under REPowerEU reached €1.78 billion last year, an 80% increase from 2022. Related agreements that have already been concluded this year include financing the modernisation of rail network power supply systems, and further deals are expected in the coming months.

Under the agreement with ORLEN Group, EIB funds will be disbursed in tranches over a three-year period from the execution date, with repayments spread over a maximum of 15 years from the initial disbursement.

“The financing secured from the European Investment Bank – a key partner in Europe’s most impactful transition projects – is of particular importance to us. Utilising a funding source dedicated to the energy transition will not only enable us to execute our planned investments but will also strengthen the Group’s financial security thanks to the long-term availability of these funds at a competitive cost,” said Magdalena Bartoś, Vice President of the Management Board, Finance, of ORLEN.

ORLEN Group has allocated over PLN 8.3 billion for investments in electricity distribution over the past five years. Renewable energy capacity of Energa’s network currently amounts to around 9.2 GW. This year, the company connected nearly 21 500 new renewable energy installations (including small prosumer installations) by the fourth quarter with total capacity of 801 MW.

Background information

The EIB is the EU institution providing long-term financing for sound projects that pursue EU priorities. The EIB’s shareholders are the Member States. Its involvement increases economic competitiveness, spurs innovation, promotes sustainable development, enhances social and territorial cohesion, and supports a swift and fair transition to climate neutrality.

In 2023, the EIB Group granted a total of €88 billion in new financing to more than 900 projects, of which €49 billion was earmarked for green investments. These funds are expected to support total investment of €320 billion, help 400 000 companies and sustain 5.4 million jobs. The EIB Group is on track to meet its goal of mobilising €1 trillion of climate investment by the end of this decade.

More than half of the €5.1 billion granted to Poland by the EIB Group in 2023 went to climate-friendly projects.

ORLEN Group is an integrated multi-utility energy company listed in the prestigious global Fortune Global 500. It was the first company in the region to declare achieving total emission neutrality in 2050. Thanks to the recent acquisitions and mergers, it became one of the 150 largest companies in the world. The company operates on 10 home markets: Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Canada, Norway and Pakistan. Retail sales are carried out using the largest network of 3,500 fuel stations in the region. The ORLEN Group’s offer reaches over 100 countries on 6 continents.

By the end of this decade, ORLEN will invest over PLN 320 billion to implement strategic projects, of which approximately 40% will be allocated to green investments, including wind energy at sea and on land, photovoltaics, biogas and biomethane, biofuels, electromobility, green hydrogen and synthetic fuels.