Polish multienergy giant Orlen Group has officially finalised the expansion of its photovoltaic farm in Kleczew, reaching its target capacity of 250 MW. The project, located in the Wielkopolska region, is currently the largest installation of its kind in the group’s portfolio and one of the largest photovoltaic facilities in Central and Eastern Europe. From an operational point of view, the investment, which already has a licence from the Energy Regulatory Office, is capable of producing clean energy capable of powering up to 100,000 households.
What sets Kleczew apart from a business perspective is not only the raw scale, but above all the strategic approach to infrastructure management. The project, led by Energa Wytwarzanie, operates under the formula of a hybrid RES project. Combining 250 MW of solar power with the existing 19.2 MW of wind power allows for a much more efficient use of grid connections and stabilises the energy production profile in line with changing weather conditions.
The environmental and economic aspect is worth noting: the installation was built on land reclaimed from a former lignite quarry. This is a model example of landuse transformation, where post-fossil fuel infrastructure is given a second, green life. Crucially for future capital flows, the project has been designed with further scalability in mind. Current connection conditions allow the capacity of the entire complex to be safely increased to around 334 MW.
For Orlen’s management board, headed by Ireneusz Fąfara, Kleczew is a key element of the broad transformation of the energy mix. The company is consistently pursuing its strategy to exceed 12 GW of installed RES capacity by 2035. The company’s green portfolio is to be diversified – in addition to photovoltaics and onshore wind power, the foundation for growth will be offshore projects in the Baltic Sea (with the flagship Baltic Power at the forefront), as well as investments in biogas, biomethane and small modular reactors (SMRs).
– We are consistently implementing the largest ever programme of investment in the Polish energy sector, which we have turned into a huge construction site. This is how tomorrow’s energy is being created, which means independence and energy security and the lowest possible energy prices for Poles. The project in Kleczew is one of the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. It demonstrates the scale and pace of the transformation we are implementing. Our investments are changing the national energy mix and setting the direction for the development of modern energy,” stresses Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
