ORLEN's Refinery Products Testing Laboratory in Trzebinia is the first laboratory in Poland and the third in the world to be accredited for advanced hydrogen testing methods for the automotive industry. The positive assessment of the Polish Accreditation Centre is of key importance for the hydrogen producer - ORLEN Południe. Later this year, ORLEN Laboratorium plans to obtain accreditation for its second laboratory in Włocławek, where a hydrogen hub will soon be established.
From 1 January 2025, every hydrogen laboratory will be required to have every hydrogen quality testing method and hydrogen sampling process accredited for product certification purposes. The Refinery Products Testing Unit in Trzebinia received accreditation almost a year ahead of the legal requirements, allowing further work to begin immediately on the introduction of hydrogen for the automotive industry. The hydrogen producer, ORLEN Południe, will benefit greatly from the opportunity to have its hydrogen production certified and to carry out further tests in an accredited laboratory.
„Hydrogen as a key factor enabling the transition to new energy also plays an important role in the strategic vision of the ORLEN Group. In order to underline our commitment to this fuel, we have allocated PLN 7.4 billion for related investments until 2030, focusing primarily on hydrogen mobility. We are expanding the infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling, launching stations for buses, trucks and cars, and testing the first hydrogen-powered locomotive," says Grzegorz Jóźwiak, head of ORLEN's Hydrogen Technologies and Synthetic Fuels Office.
Three years of preparation
The successful accreditation of the test unit in Trzebinia, a pioneer in Poland, was preceded by three years of preparation, behind which was strategic cooperation with the UK's National Physical Laboratory, a leading institute for testing hydrogen in the automotive industry. The proficiency testing programme to which the Polish laboratory was invited as a result of this collaboration confirmed its competence and entitled it to apply for accreditation as one of only four facilities in the world.
In 2023, ORLEN Laboratorium commissioned its second laboratory for hydrogen testing for the automotive industry at the Centre for Fertiliser and Environmental Testing in Włocławek, which will provide laboratory analysis services for the newly launched hydrogen hub in Włocławek.
In line with the updated strategy until 2030, ORLEN Group is also expanding its network of continuous hydrogen refuelling stations, both in Poland and internationally. In the Czech Republic, motorists can already fill up with hydrogen at ORLEN Benzina filling stations in Prague and Litvínov. However, this is only the beginning, as the ORLEN Group's network is to expand to more than 100 hydrogen filling stations in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia over the next six years.
Source - ORLEN
photo - source - ORLEN
