A vast, several-hectare swath of land on the premises of the LOTOS refinery in Gdańsk has turned into an enormous construction site. Extension of the refinery as part of the EFRA Project (an acronym that stands for efficient refining) is past the piling (ground reinforcement) stage and into the stage of constructing the foundations.

Resting on 25-metre long piles, the foundations will carry installation components weighing up to several hundred tonnes. EFRA has other strong foundations, namely its financing, which won an international award from the prestigious EMEA Finance magazine as the best project finance transaction globally in the oil and gas sector in 2015. The LOTOS project also involves an experienced team of engineers and cooperation with reputable contractors, such as the general contractor, an italian company − KT - Kinetics Technology, as well as proven and trusted Polish partners, such as Przembud Gdańsk, P.R.I. Centrum, Mostostal Zabrze, Elektromontaż Gdańsk or LOTOS Serwis (company of the LOTOS Group).

The EFRA Project is to enable the refinery to produce nearly a million tonnes of high quality fuels, instead of the unprofitable heavy fuel oil. Once the Project is completed, the LOTOS refinery will gain an excellent process configuration, one of the best in the world, which will give it a secure position among European peers. The Project completion status was over 20% in mid-June, 3% ahead of schedule.

There are already more than two thousand reinforced concrete piles in the ground, each about 25 metres long. The highest number of these have been located underneath the planned DCU installations. Foundations are being laid on the piles. The foundation work is most advanced at the hydrogen generation unit site, where reinforced concrete elements have already grown several metres above ground level.

Also underground work − mainly construction of the water supply and wastewater discharge system − is nearing completion. Overpasses, new roads and contractors’ camps are springing up. Construction of the power supply building − the main point of power supply to the EFRA installations − is at the most advanced stage. On June 17th, Grupa LOTOS and Elektromontaż Gdańsk signed agreements for delivery, upgrade and construction of cable networks, worth more than PLN 14m.

“Grupa LOTOS chooses experienced Polish contractors responsibly. Under the entire EFRA Project, the majority of work will be performed by Polish companies and Polish employees. The Polish market will play an important role in materials and equipment supply,” says Grzegorz Błędowski, the EFRA Project Director at Grupa LOTOS.

The number of people working at the construction site has been on the rise. At the peak point − in spring 2017 − during the overhaul shutdown, there will be about five thousand people working at the refinery, mostly from Polish companies. In parallel with construction, work is under way on engineering designs, procurement of materials and equipment and hiring of contractors. The new installations are expected to come online in summer 2018.

Communications Office, Grupa LOTOS S.A., ul. Elbląska 135, 80-718 Gdańsk, Poland, tel. (+48) 58 308 87 31, (+48) 58 308 83 88, e-mail: media@grupalotos.pl