Crude oil deliveries, joint action on the aviation fuel market and sales & purchase agreement regarding fuel supplies for Statoil’s sites network operating in Poland are among the stipulations of the contracts signed by the LOTOS SA Group Norway’s StatoilHydro and Statoil Poland yesterday. Both groups are staking on a dynamic development of their mutual relations. 

“The contract with the Norwegians is an important element of our consistent strategy to diversify crude oil deliveries for our group. No one needs to be convinced how important it is also for Poland,” says Paweł Olechnowicz, President of the LOTOS SA Group. “I want to underline that this contract also protects us against problems with oil deliveries from other contractors. If such perturbations occur, we will get the missing feedstock from the Norwegians on the terms provided for key clients,” Olechnowicz explains. The contract signed yesterday regulates the terms of cooperation started in 2006. Crude oil deliveries will be made in 2009.

The contract also provides for an option to extent it for more years. As part of the development of cooperation StatoilHydro and LOTOS Group intent to check the opportunities of launching joint ventures in the area of operating in Polish airports. “It is much more than just another trade contract. It is another step towards building strategic partnership between out companies,” Paweł Olechnowicz adds. It is also worthwhile stressing that, in addition to feedstock deliveries by StatoilHydro and the crude oil delivered through the Friendship pipeline, LOTOS has been developing E&P activities both in the Baltic Sea and the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Currently two Merox installations produce aviation fuel in Gdansk refinery. In an hour both of them are able to generate 60 t of aviation fuel. Such volume is consumed by Boeing 767 on a flight from Warsaw to Chicago. In 2007 Grupa LOTOS produced overall 440 t of aviation fuel. Approx. 80% of that was exported to i.a. GB, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Czech Rep. Aviation fuel from Grupa LOTOS is delivered as well to Polish local airports, located in cities of Wroclaw, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz and Gdansk.

 Grupa LOTOS fuels for Statoil Poland  Another agreement signed yesterday is a contract regarding wholesale fuel deliveries to Statoil’s sites network operating in Poland. The agreement is valid between 2009-2011, provides for an option of its extension till the end of 2013. Estimated value of the agreement amounts PLN 7 billions.  StatoilHydro operates 260 sites in Poland.  

 Marcin Zachowicz, Spokesman, Grupa LOTOS S.A., ul. Elbląska 135,80-718 Gdansk, Poland,  tel.+48 58 308 75 70, +48 505 050 454, e-mail: marcin.zachowicz@grupalotos.pl