"Almost 37 million tons of crude oil and liquid fuels were reloaded throughout 2023 by Naftoport, a member of the PERN Group. This means an increase by as much as half compared to 2022. Meanwhile, the PERN fuel base in Dębogórze received 3 million tons of diesel oil delivered in the same period by tankers to the Port of Gdynia - also half as much as in 2022. - PERN reported, answering PAP's questions on Friday.

According to PERN, in 2023, 471 ships were received and handled at Naftoport, compared to 363 tankers a year earlier, while 93 tankers were unloaded at the fuel base in Dębogórze - 26 more than a year earlier. "This is the result of the reorientation of the directions of raw material and fuel supplies to Poland caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the departure from Russian hydrocarbons, which is a pan-European phenomenon," the company explained.

PERN emphasized that "Naftoport is operating at maximum speed today", which is why it is already carrying out intensive work to expand the terminal with another station for servicing the largest tankers. "The company is in the process of preparing design documentation for the investment. This is an important milestone on the way to increasing the operational efficiency and capacity of Naftoport, and thus strengthening the state's energy security," the information noted.

PERN also mentioned the service agreement signed with Naftoport in the field of technical maintenance of equipment and installations, thanks to which both companies will "increase the technological security of key operations for Poland, related to the reloading of raw materials and fuels."

As PERN added, in turn, at its fuel base in Dębogórze, two diesel tanks with a capacity of 32,000 were put into operation in 2023. cubic meters everyone. The company announced that it plans to build three much larger tanks there, with a capacity of 50,000. cubic meters everyone. "Additionally, the expansion of the loading facility and the railway siding is being carried out, which will significantly increase the possibilities of distributing fuels for rail transport," the information emphasized.

PERN pointed out that its "key infrastructure" in Pomerania also includes two crude oil bases and the Pomeranian Pipeline, connecting Gdańsk in reverse and the company's raw material warehouse in Miszewko Strzałkowskie near Płock - the Gdańsk Base and the Gdańsk Oil Terminal receive various tankers via Naftoport. crude oil species from around the world; the raw material is then transported via pipelines in accordance with customer demand to Polish refineries in Gdańsk and Płock and to German refineries in Schwedt and Leuna.

"The potential of PERN at the seaside is a total of 31 tanks in the Gdańsk Base and the Gdańsk Oil Terminal with a total capacity of 1.86 million cubic meters, which constitutes nearly 50% of PERN's entire crude oil storage capacity," the company recalled. She also noted that in 2023, in cooperation with customers and Flowchem, it purchased and used DRA - Drag Reduction Additive - in the Pomeranian Pipeline in facilities in Gdańsk, Pelplin, Łasin and Rypin, which significantly reduced the oil pumping resistance and increased the efficiency of the pipeline.

PERN also announced that its plans for this year include a total of approximately 400 new tasks from the Investment Plan and Renovation Plan, "including several key investments such as the construction of new tank capacities at the Fuel Base in Dębogórze". The company estimated that the "key investment" implemented by Naftoport will also be the expansion of the transshipment terminal with a deep-water position "W" for transhipment of crude oil.

"PERN's physical investments for 2024 will amount to almost PLN 450 million, and renovations will amount to approximately PLN 90 million," the information calculated.

PERN emphasized that it would focus, among others, on: on the construction and modernization of railway loading infrastructure in key facilities, including: at fuel depots in Dębogórze and Nowa Wieś Wielka. According to the company, the development of its railway infrastructure accounts for almost 12 percent. all investment expenditures, with the largest item being "investments related to broadly understood infrastructure security - approximately 17 percent."

PERN, based in Płock, is a strategic entity for Poland's energy security, which manages critical infrastructure, responsible for pumping crude oil through pipelines in Poland to the Orlen Group's refineries in Płock and Gdańsk, as well as to two refineries in Germany, and for storing it in its bases in country, both raw materials and liquid fuels.

Currently, the company has 19 fuel depots throughout Poland, with a total capacity of over 2.6 million cubic meters. and 4. crude oil bases with a total capacity of over 4.1 million cubic meters.

For several years, PERN has been implementing the "Mega Investment Program", i.e. priority projects related to managed critical infrastructure that are intended to increase Poland's energy security.

author: Michał Budkiewicz

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