### Orlen Unipetrol’s Litvínov Refinery and Petrochemical Operations Remain Offline Due to Unexploded Bomb
Orlen Unipetrol’s Litvínov refinery and petrochemical operations in the Czech Republic remain suspended as the company performs a potentially hazardous activity – the removal of an unexploded aerial bomb from World War II. This discovery was made on August 21 during excavation work at the site’s Chempark Záluží complex.
Following the detection of the unexploded ordnance, Orlen Unipetrol immediately initiated a safe shutdown of all production and energy units at the Litvínov refinery. This precautionary measure was taken after consultation with the Czech Republic police to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the operation. The refinery’s 108,000 barrels per day (b/d) operations, as well as its integrated petrochemical activities, were halted to prevent any potential risk.
The suspension of refining activities has impacted the availability of feedstock for the site’s integrated petrochemical operations. Consequently, Orlen Unipetrol has started the controlled shutdown of the Chempark Záluží ethylene plant’s steam cracker, which has a capacity of producing 544,000 tonnes per year. Additionally, the company has begun reducing operations at the site’s polymerization and other downstream units.
While Orlen Unipetrol has not disclosed a specific timeline for resuming operations at the petrochemical section of the complex, the company is currently working closely with local authorities and fire rescue services to prepare areas for the bomb’s deactivation. The earliest anticipated date for the bomb’s deactivation is August 28.
Once the deactivation is complete, Orlen Unipetrol assumes that it will be able to proceed with resuming operations of the entire site. However, until then, the company has declared force majeure on product supply from the integrated complex due to the extraordinary, unforeseen, and ins