On September 25th 2019, representatives of the Warsaw University of Technology, Grupa LOTOS S.A. and LOTOS Lab signed documents initiating joint R&D activities. The parties are joining join forces to prepare the prototypes of selected equipment for low emission transport and energy storage. The event was attended by Tomasz Dąbrowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Energy.

During the ceremony, which took place in the Hall of the Academic Senate of the Warsaw University of Technology, Professor Jan Szmidt, Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, and Mateusz Aleksander Bonca, President of the Grupa LOTOS S.A. Management Board, and Patryk Demski, Vice President of the Management Board, Chief Investment and Innovation Officer at Grupa LOTOS S.A., signed a cooperation agreement between the Warsaw University of Technology and Grupa LOTOS S.A. LOTOS Lab, which is responsible for initiating, coordinating, financing and implementing R&D projects at the LOTOS Group, was designated by the governing bodies of the LOTOS Group to implement the cooperation agreement. A framework agreement between the Company and the university was signed by Marzena Koczut, President of the LOTOS Lab Management Board, and Piotr Kociński, Vice President of the LOTOS Lab Management Board.

 “Signing cooperation and framework agreements with such a reputable industrial partner as Grupa LOTOS S.A., pursuing many innovative projects, is particularly important for a technical university which develops and deploys state-of-the-art technologies. We are glad that the scientific potential of the Warsaw University of Technology, in particular of the Faculty of Physics, Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, and Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, is appreciated by Grupa LOTOS S.A. and that we have been offered this opportunity to cooperate,” said Professor Jan Szmidt, Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology.
 “The Warsaw University of Technology attaches great importance to energy storage and processing technologies as well as to matters related to various sensors. I would like to stress here that the principal and expected outcome of the project are prototype technological solutions that can be implemented on an industrial scale. Practical implementation is always extremely important for any scientific community, and especially for the Warsaw University of Technology, which aspires to create modern Polish economy ,” added Professor Szmidt.

"To us, cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology is another step towards building intellectual capital, which will allow us to bring to market new solutions in the field of low-emission fuels ,” said Mateusz A. Bonca, President of the Grupa LOTOS S.A. Management Board. “At present, we are particularly interested in using hydrogen as a fuel, especially in public transport. We are constantly analysing various options of co-financing R&D and infrastructure projects using both national and EU funds. It is also our response to the government’s Responsible Development Strategy, in which the need to develop low-emission public transport is repeatedly emphasised.”

LOTOS Lab’s innovative projects focus on two key areas: lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen (selected components of the hydrogen value chain).

 “With regard to lithium-ion cells, we are currently working on a project to construct a distributed energy storage system,” said Marzena Koczut, President of the LOTOS Lab Management Board. “As for hydrogen, we focus on such projects as the construction of a hybrid shunting locomotive and the development of a hydrogen certification system. We believe that the knowledge and experience brought by the Warsaw University of Technology will help us achieve a successful completion.

As part of the cooperation, the Warsaw University of Technology is to prepare for LOTOS Lab prototypes of selected equipment, including:

• transducers and battery management systems,
• lithium-ion and flow batteries,
• energy storage facilities (stationary and mobile),
• low- and high-temperature hydrogen batteries,
• equipment for hydrogen purity testing using optical methods.

Pursuant to the agreement, the Warsaw University of Technology is to provide laboratories and qualified staff who will carry out specific tasks within individual projects. The research work will be conducted at the Faculty of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, and Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering. LOTOS, on the other hand, will support the purchase of equipment, technology and licences necessary for the projects.

In the photo (from left to right): Professor Jan Szmidt, Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, Marzena Koczut, President of the LOTOS Lab Management Board, and Mateusz Aleksander Bonca, President of the Grupa LOTOS S.A. Management Board

“Innovation and cooperation with scientific and research institutions play a major role in the LOTOS strategy until 2022, which is why we are so glad to have entered into an agreement with the Warsaw University of Technology, one of the most prestigious Polish universities,’ stressed Patryk Demski, Vice President of the Management Board, Chief Investment and Innovation Officer, at Grupa LOTOS S.A.“We believe that this cooperation will help us jointly develop solutions that will allow LOTOS to consolidate its leading position in the broadly defined area of low-emission transport and energy storage. Importantly, we are confident that the agreement will benefit not only our Company, but also Polish science and, ultimately, our customers and shareholders.

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About the Warsaw University of Technology

The Warsaw University of Technology is Poland’s leading technical university actively involved in research programmes in Poland and abroad. The University has considerable scientific and research potential in technical sciences, i.e. highly-qualified staff and world-class research and laboratory facilities. Technology transfer is pivotal to the mission of the University as a centre of innovation and entrepreneurship. At present, over 36,000 graduate and post-graduate students study at its 19 faculties and 1 college. More than 100 study groups/science clubs and student organisations are active at the Warsaw University of Technology. Research projects carried out by the students allow them to combine the theoretical knowledge gained in the course of their studies with hands-on skills. Approximately 90% of the graduates land their first jobs within three months after graduation (Monitoring of Professional Careers of the Warsaw University of Technology Graduates, 7th edition, 2018).

Visit the University’s website www.pw.edu.pl

About Grupa LOTOS S.A.

LOTOS is a Polish corporation whose business is of strategic importance to the national and European energy security, as well as to Poland’s economy. It produces natural gas and crude oil in Poland, Norway and Lithuania. The Company owns a refinery in Gdańsk, one of Europe’s most advanced oil refining plants, where crude is processed mainly into high quality fuels, including the LOTOS Dynamic premium brand.

LOTOS also operates a chain of close to 500 service stations conveniently located at motorways and expressways, in all large cities and many other locations across the country. As a retailer and wholesaler of fuels, it has a close to one-third market share at home. It is also Poland’s second-largest rail freight forwarder. LOTOS is a leading manufacturer of road bitumens, engine oils and lubricants used in road vehicles, aeroplanes, trains, ships, and even military vehicles.

LOTOS is actively involved in the development of hydrogen technologies. One of its initiatives was the establishment in 2017 of the Hydrogen Technologies and Clean Energy Technologies Cluster, with a mission to initiate efforts aimed at increasing the role of hydrogen technologies and clean energy technologies. In 2018, the LOTOS Group started to cooperate with the authorities of the towns of Gdynia and Wejherowo. Letters of intent signed by the parties provide for the supply of hydrogen to power fuel cell electric buses. The project envisages the possibility of launching hydrogen purification and dispensing units as well as hydrogen fuelling points within the next three years.

In line with the strategy, LOTOS plans to increase the number of its service stations to 550, with a focus on investment in alternative fuels. Twelve electric vehicle charging points will soon be put into operation at service stations along the Warsaw – Tri-city route. Later on, the Company plans to install EV charging points at 50 of its service stations located on main throughways. In addition, LOTOS plans to sell CNG, LNG and hydrogen in the future. When these plans materialise, the LOTOS chain will become the LOTOS Energy Hub, a modern network of integrated energy service stations.