**Orlen Unipetrol’s Recently Restarted Litvínov Refinery Confronts Flood Threat**
In the midst of a severe flood event that has engulfed parts of Central Europe, Orlen Unipetrol is facing a new challenge at its 5.4-million tonne/year (tpy) integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Litvínov, Czech Republic. The complex, which had recently resumed operations after a forced shutdown to remove an unexploded aerial World War II bomb, is now bracing for potential impacts from the ongoing “extraordinary flood.”
The low-pressure storm system named Boris has been slowly moving through Central Europe since the week of September 9, causing widespread flooding and disruption in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Romania. Orlen Unipetrol, aware of the significant risks posed by the flood, is preparing to implement necessary crisis measures to mitigate the negative impacts on its technological infrastructure and equipment.
As of September 16 at 3:00 p.m. local time, operations at both the refining and petrochemical sites were ongoing but under close scrutiny. Internal crisis teams are diligently working to minimize effects from the weather event on various aspects of the plant, including its technologies, feedstocks, and finished production. Additionally, any potential threats to the surrounding environment are being rigorously assessed and addressed.
The production sites and the network of Orlen gas stations are coordinating their efforts to restore safe operation at at least nine Orlen gas stations across the Czech Republic, which were closed as of 4:00 p.m. local time due to the flooding situation.
This recent flood threat poses an additional layer of complexity to the site’s operations, given their recent restart. On August 30, 2024, pyrotechnicians from the Czech Republic Police successfully detonated an unexploded aerial World War II bomb found during excavation work at ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s chemical plant