ORLEN allies with Polish universities for e-fuel development

The collaboration aims to jointly seek funding from domestic and European sources, provide expert support in establishing research infrastructure, utilise advanced process modelling tools available at the universities, conduct research projects and train future personnel for the ORLEN Group, which will be the primary benefits of the agreement.

The purpose is to harness the scientific environment’s potential to support ORLEN in enhancing and adapting synthetic fuel technologies.

“ORLEN will soon need to meet demand for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), driven by European regulations such as RED III and ReFuelEU Aviation. We're already evaluating investment opportunities to manufacture the synthetic aviation fuel e-SAF RFNBO. To make this happen, we need to establish an in-house Synthetic Fuel Laboratory as a critical tool for assessing solutions offered by the market. We're also planning to dive deep into research and development for various stages of e-fuel production, where the expertise of our science partners will be invaluable. The ultimate goal is to develop our own know-how and build capabilities in the new processes and technologies. This will give us the insights and confidence needed to make well-informed investment and operational decisions in the future,” said Marcin Wasilewski, Member of the ORLEN Management Board, Technology.

The agreement is a natural step in leveraging the synergies between business and science, but its key focus is on building and enhancing scientific capabilities in e-fuels at the Warsaw University of Technology Branch in Plock, as essential support for developing innovative, cutting-edge synthetic fuel technologies within the ORLEN Group. E-fuels are produced by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide, either of biogenic origin or captured from the air. While their combustion in engines does emit CO₂, the emissions are offset when the fuels are produced. This is why e-fuels are often said to be carbon-neutral.

Collaboration between ORLEN and the universities will include:

• Exchange of expert knowledge to find the most effective technology solutions for the manufacture of synthetic fuels, particularly aviation fuels.
• Joint implementation of scientific research projects.
• Enhancement of ORLEN staff’s professional qualifications and training of its future personnel.
• Joint efforts to secure funding from external sources.

In October 2023, the EU adopted the Fit for 55 set of legislative proposals, including the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which mandates a scale-up in the amounts of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) blended with conventional jet fuels supplied to major airports in the EU, including Poland. The mandatory SAF shares start at 2% from 1 January 2025, increasing rapidly from then onwards (6% by 2030, 20% by 2035), to finally reach 70% by 2050. The ReFuelEU Aviation initiative covers eight Polish airports. ORLEN is working on its own projects to supply adequate volumes of SAFs to the Polish market and plans to develop new products, including synthetic aviation fuels produced using hydrogen derived from renewably-powered electrolysis (RFNBO) and biogenic CO₂.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/30012025/orlen-allies-with-polish-universities-for-e-fuel-development/