**Orlen Unipetrol’s Litvínov Refinery Navigates Both Post-Bomb Resumption and an Unrelenting Flood**
In a tale of resilience and operational efficiency, Orlen Unipetrol has managed to steer its 5.4-million tonne/year integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Litvínov, Czech Republic, through a complex sequence of challenges. Initially disrupted by the discovery and controlled disposal of an unexploded aerial World War II bomb, the facility has recently navigated an extraordinary flood event in the region.
**The Bomb’s Disruption**
The journey began on August 21, 2024, when an aerial bomb from World War II was unearthed during excavation work in a remote part of the Chempark Záluží petrochemical complex. This unexpected discovery prompted an immediate and safe shutdown of all production and energy units at the Litvínov refinery. The suspension of refining activities resulted in a lack of feedstock availability, necessitating the controlled shutdown of the Chempark Záluží ethylene plant’s 544,000-tpy steam cracker and the reduction of operations at downstream units.
Orlen Unipetrol declared force majeure on product supply from the integrated complex, citing the bomb’s discovery as an insurmountable obstacle. Despite this setback, Orlen Unipetrol cooperated closely with the Czech Republic police and fire rescue services to prepare areas for the bomb’s deactivation. The controlled detonation, which occurred on August 30, was a complicated but ultimately successful operation. Following site safety inspections by the Czech authorities and internal teams, Orlen Unipetrol resumed operations at Chempark Záluží by September 9 and restored Litvínov refinery operations by September 10.
**Navigating the Flood**
Just as the complex was regaining its footing, an intense flood event named Boris swept through the region. Starting the week of September 9,