“The current management of Orlen is capable of jeopardizing collaboration with one of the largest energy companies in the world. The joint operations between Orlen and Saudi Aramco, which included petrochemical investments, have been completely undermined. The Polish company is no longer investing and has turned into merely a cash cow for the state budget,” wrote Obajtek on the platform X. Orlen holds a 70% stake in the Gdańsk Refinery, while the remaining 30% is owned by Saudi Aramco. The two firms are also connected through oil supply collaboration and plans to develop the petrochemical sector in Poland. Any potential sale of shares by Saudi Aramco could significantly impact future cooperation with Orlen.
The remarks from the former head of Orlen followed a report from “Rzeczpospolita,” which stated that Saudi Aramco is considering selling part of its assets in Poland. The company is evaluating two possible scenarios: a complete withdrawal from Poland or, more likely, selling Aramco Fuels Poland, which had substantial operations with revenues of 18.2 billion PLN last year. At this stage, there is no confirmation regarding the transaction’s execution or the specific assets that could be involved in the sale process. These potential changes in Poland may be part of a broader review of the Saudi giant’s investment portfolio. As noted by the newspaper, Reuters previously estimated that the assets under consideration for such evaluations could be worth around $50 billion. Potential areas of interest include shares in sulfur sector enterprises, export terminals, energy and water infrastructure, as well as real estate.
