The Polish-Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, based in Riga, has inaugurated its activities, bringing together companies, institutions and individuals interested in developing economic relations between Poland and Latvia. The Chamber's founding members include ORLEN Lietuva's subsidiary ORLEN Latvija, one of the most important suppliers of fuels and asphalts to the Latvian market, which is also planning to invest in green energy.
“For years, PKN ORLEN has been consistently investing in assets in Lithuania, strengthening ORLEN Lietuva's position in the region. It is also carefully observing the Latvian market, where it is already present. As a future leader of the energy transformation in this part of Europe, we see opportunities for cooperation in low- and zero-emission projects - offshore wind energy and green hydrogen production. The ORLEN Lietuva Group through the newly established Chamber will be able to share its experience and thus potentially encourage Polish companies to become more open to this promising market,” said Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
The purpose of the emerging entity is to help companies better understand the specifics of both markets, solve their problems and support entrepreneurs who are starting up operations in those countries. This assistance includes facilitating contacts with potential partners, suppliers and customers.
In 2021 Latvia imported products from Poland for a total amount of EUR 1.9 billion (9.1 percent of total imports), while Latvian exports to Poland were worth EUR 701.9 million (4.0% of total exports). Geopolitical changes create an opportunity to significantly increase trade exchange and intensify economic cooperation.
The opening of the Polish-Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held under the honorary patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Riga and the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Warsaw. ORLEN Latvija, a member of ORLEN Group, is one of its founding members. It is the largest fuel trader in Latvia, supplying refinery products to the market for almost 20 years. ORLEN Latvija provides about 70% of Latvia's demand for fuels and asphalt, supplies major petrol station networks and sells from terminals in Olaine, Valmiera, Lacupe and Rezekne. The company supports ORLEN Neptun I (ORLEN Group's competence centre for offshore wind energy) in preparations for new investments in Latvia in wind energy and green hydrogen production. ORLEN Group wants to become a leader in offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea area.
The opening of the Chamber was accompanied by a conference on June 20 on the development of offshore wind energy on the Latvian market, attended by representatives of the Polish and Latvian administration and entrepreneurs from both countries. The conference was attended by such people as: Head of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Poland Paweł Szrot, Adviser to the President of Latvia Rolands Lappuke, Minister of Economy of Latvia Ilse Indriksone, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment of the Republic of Poland Adam Guiborgué-Czetwertyński. ORLEN Group was represented by Józef Węgrecki - PKN ORLEN Management Board Member for Operations, Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska - President of the Management Board of ORLEN Neptun I, Michał Rudnicki - President of the Management Board of ORLEN Lietuva, and Grzegorz Jóźwiak - Director of the Alternative Fuels Implementation Office at PKN ORLEN.
ORLEN Lietuva inf.