Poland: Electricity grid to get further upgrades with EIB loan payment of over €400 million to Orlen Group

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• EIB set for loan of 1.7 billion Polish zlotys (€405 million) for Orlen to finance investment programme of its electricity supplier Energa Operator and improve and expand Poland’s electricity network
• Loan to make Polish power grid more reliable and green, bolstering customer service, climate action and energy independence
• Loan marks third and final tranche of 3.5-billion-zloty EIB loan to Orlen for upgrades to Poland’s power infrastructure

The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed 1.7 billion Polish zlotys (€405 million) to electricity supplier Energa to improve and expand Poland’s electricity network. This is the third and final tranche of a 3.5- billion-zloty loan to Orlen for upgrades to power distribution grid in northern and central Poland.

With the latest EIB loan tranche, Orlen subsidiary Energa Operator will upgrade over 4,600 kilometres of existing grid infrastructure, build a further 2,300 km of power lines in Poland to accommodate around 25,000 new customers. Energa Operator will also be able to modernize its electricity network’s metering systems.

“Our support to Orlen is a strategic investment in the sustainable and long-term growth of the Polish economy,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska.“This underlines our strong commitment to a genuine and fair green transition, development of modern energy infrastructure and energy security for Poland and the European Union.”

The operation advances EU goals to expand clean power such as wind and solar, become climate neutral by mid-century and reduce reliance on energy imports, outlined in RePowerEU initiative of the European Commission. It also strengthens a Polish aim of accelerating the shift to a net-zero-emissions power grid.

“This record-high financing from the European Investment Bank is a strong vote of confidence in our growth strategy. We have an ambitious yet well-structured plan that will not only create value for our shareholders but also contribute to the broader economy. The EIB funding will be directed toward investments in our electricity distribution network, such as building new power lines and connecting new customers, including prosumers with their own renewable energy sources. These projects will be carried out by Energa Operator, which, thanks to the financing secured by ORLEN, is well-positioned to reinforce its leadership in Poland’s energy transition,” said Magdalena Bartoś, Vice President of the Management Board and Chief Financial Officer at ORLEN.

The EIB loan supports Energa Operator long-term plans to expand the Polish national grid by 11,000 kilometres of new power lines and 7,000 kilometres of underground cables, while upgrading nearly 10,000 kilometres of existing infrastructure by the end of 2035. These investments will enable the connection of 350,000 new customers and integration of 9 GW of renewable energy sources, increasing the installed capacity of the national grid by more that 16 percent, and add energy storage facilities to further stabilise the power system.

Background information

EIB 

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, high-impact investments outside the European Union, and the capital markets union. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.  

In 2024, the EIB Group financing in Poland grew to €5.7 billion. This bolstered sustainable development of cities and regions, energy transition and included the group’s largest security defence project last year.

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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 have invested 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.