ORLEN Group (Polish multinational oil refiner and petrol retailer) has finished expanding its photovoltaic farm in Kleczew, bringing the installation to 250 MW of capacity and marking it as the largest solar facility in the company's portfolio.

The site, which also ranks among the biggest renewable energy projects of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, has received a generation license from Poland's Energy Regulatory Office, known by its Polish acronym URE.

A Former Coal Mining Site Transformed

The Kleczew Solar and Wind project was developed on reclaimed post-mining land formerly used for brown coal open-cast extraction in the Wielkopolska region of Poland.

The installation is managed by Energa Wytwarzanie, a subsidiary within the ORLEN Group, and combines 250 MW of photovoltaic capacity with 19.2 MW of wind power, making it one of the largest hybrid renewable energy projects in the region.

The combination of solar and wind generation at a single site is designed to make better use of shared infrastructure while improving the stability of energy output across changing weather conditions. According to ORLEN, the farm will produce enough electricity in a year to power as many as 100,000 households.

The installation has also been prepared for future expansion. The existing grid connection conditions allow for the facility's capacity to be increased to approximately 334 MW, leaving open the possibility of further development at the site.

Scale of the Project and Executive Comment

ORLEN President and Chief Executive Ireneusz Fąfara described the Kleczew project as part of what he called the largest investment programme in the history of Polish energy.

Speaking at the announcement, he said the programme was turning the country's energy sector into what he termed a major construction site, aimed at delivering energy independence, security, and the lowest possible prices for Polish consumers.

Fąfara said the scale and pace of the transformation being carried out by ORLEN was illustrated by the Kleczew project's standing as one of the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. He added that the group's investments were changing the national energy mix and setting the direction for the development of modern energy infrastructure.

Part of a Broader Renewable Strategy

The completion of the Kleczew farm comes as ORLEN pursues a broader strategy targeting more than 12 gigawatts of installed renewable capacity by 2035. That strategy encompasses wind and photovoltaic projects alongside biogas and biomethane developments. Within the current year, ORLEN plans to launch the Baltic Power offshore wind farm.

This is to be followed by two additional offshore projects, identified as Baltic East and Baltic West, which will be developed in subsequent phases.

The company's 2035 strategy also incorporates investment in nuclear energy, including small modular reactors, referred to as SMRs, which ORLEN says will strengthen the stability of Poland's national energy system. The group states that SMRs will serve as a complement to the expanding renewable portfolio rather than a replacement for it.

Grid Infrastructure and Recent Connection Milestones

ORLEN reports that over the past year its network infrastructure activities have included connecting 62,000 new customers to the grid, alongside 1 gigawatt of new renewable installations.

The company also states that grid connection conditions have been issued for a further 2.5 gigawatts of renewable capacity, which it describes as the foundation for continued development of zero-emission energy sources in Poland.

The expansion of grid infrastructure is presented by ORLEN as a supporting element of its broader renewable energy push, ensuring that new generating capacity can be integrated into the national system as additional projects come online.

Powering Your Pipeline: Stay Ahead of Poland's Energy Infrastructure Wave

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