ORLEN celebrates its first anniversary on the Hungarian market

ORLEN has arrived to Hungary one year ago to the day and has quickly become one of the country's leading filling station networks. ORLEN has established its position on the Hungarian market and is preparing for further growth and development. In the twelve months since its launch, the largest multi-energy company in Central and Eastern Europe has introduced a number of innovations tailored to the needs of its customers, and these will be further developed going forward. Thanks to its quality fuel range, delicious coffees in the gastro concept Stop Cafe, DESPAR food outlets and the individual discounts available on the ORLEN mobile app, more and more people are choosing the company's service stations, and its visibility is being further enhanced by exciting prize draws and sports sponsorship activities.

The network was launched on the Hungarian market on 1st December 2022 and now operates 78 service stations, with a further 64 filling stations to be taken over by mid-2024. With 142 stations by mid-2024, ORLEN will become one of the four leading players in the market and its white eagle logo on a red background is becoming increasingly familiar to drivers. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary, Jaroslaw Szeliga, ORLEN's Managing Director in Hungary, sums up the past year: ’I am very proud of our achievements so far and of the fact that we have managed to make Hungarian customers love our products and services in such a short time. Our aim is to continue on this path of growth and development and to ensure that our customers are satisfied with the quality of our services.’

One of the company's most attractive features for customers is its quality fuel range, which includes both standard EFECTA fuels, which help the engine to run efficiently, and premium VERVA fuels, which have a special formulation. In November this year, ORLEN introduced new premium-quality fuels that help vehicles to operate optimally in the cold winter months. The renewed VERVA 100 premium petrol now contains ETBE additive instead of added bioethanol, which both protects the internal components of the car and guarantees smooth operation even in the cold winter months. VERVA Diesel's new formulation reduces emissions and makes cold starts easier, even at -26 degrees Celsius.

ORLEN stands out in the market not only with quality fuel but also with high quality services, says Jaroslaw Szeliga: ’With our DESPAR grocery stores, which are now available at 61 stations nationwide, motorists can save time and money by combining refuelling and shopping. What's more, DESPAR stores' opening hours are aligned with those of the service stations, so shopping is no longer an obstacle, even on public holidays or late at night.’

ORLEN's own research shows that quality coffee and tasty foods at a filling station influence motorists' choices. The research shows that one in three drivers consider these services to be essential at a service station. With this need in mind, the company launched its Stop.Cafe restaurant concept in Hungary this September, which is already well-known and popular in many European countries, offering creative, healthy and affordable sandwiches combining local traditions and international gastronomic influences alongside popular hot-dog variations. Stop.Cafe not only offers great food and Fair-Trade® coffee, but also provides a place for people on the road to meet and recharge.

ORLEN is a modern and dynamic company, for which the overriding goal is development and care for customers. ORLEN consistently expands its portfolio of fuel cards and fleet services, and cares for the development of already functioning products so that each company finds a reliable product that meets its needs. The offer includes a variety of solutions tailored to the requirements and expectations of a given company - its size, number and types of vehicles, business profile, as well as the amount of fuel tanked. The fleet card provides the convenience of cashless fuel purchases, at ORLEN stations. A free portal, simplified electronic invoicing and deferred payment terms will allow you to easily manage your fleet and maintain full control over expenses.

This year, Hungarian customers were also able to meet ORLEN in connection with two major international sporting events, where fans were able to visit the domestic races in person. In May, the company sponsored the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix international cycling race, which started in Hungary and continued in Slovakia and Poland after the two Hungarian stages, where Hungary was represented by the national U23 team.

In addition, ORLEN became a Principal Sponsor of the Scuderia AlphaTauri Formula 1 racing team at the beginning of this year. ’Motorsport is particularly attractive for the Hungarian market. In the county, one in three customers entering a filling station is a racing fan, and more than 30 percent of our own customers explicitly support ORLEN's Formula 1 sponsorship.’ - comments Jaroslaw Szeliga.

In July, leading up to the home Grand Prix, fans were able to see the original race car on display at two ORLEN service stations. In addition, at an exclusive press event organised by ORLEN Hungary, Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda and team principal Franz Tost paid tribute to the newly rebuilt service station at the M3 Jakabpuszta rest stop before the race.

In addition to fuel, ORLEN also surprised its customers with prize draws. The company's first prize draw was also linked to the Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix, with those who filled up with at least 20 litres of fuel at ORLEN stations winning a pair of tickets to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. After that, 10 Vespa Primavera RED 50 scooters were given away. In addition to daily and weekly prizes, customers who fill up with at least 25 litres in the current prize draw can also play for a brand-new Porsche Macan.

In addition to the games for valuable prizes, discounts on the downloadable smartphone app make the service stations even more attractive. Customers can take advantage of the permanent 10 Ft/l discount at any time for refuelling over 20 liters. This freedom, and the fact that the discount can be used up to four times a month, is particularly popular with motorists.

New Collection: Aircrafted by Emirates

Capturing both the spirit of innovation embedded in Emirates’ culture, and an ongoing environmental commitment to consuming responsibly, Emirates is launching a unique capsule collection of luggage, bags and accessories – all fashioned from upcycled materials from retrofitted aircraft.

The limited-edition range features a selection of suitcases, backpacks, handbags, cardholders, toiletry bags, belts and even shoes – all designed and handmade by Emirates tailors in a dedicated cabin workshop, at Emirates Engineering facility in Dubai. Scheduled for sale in 2024 in Emirates Official Stores, all proceeds will be donated to children in need, via the Emirates Airline Foundation. A selection of bags and accessories will also be on display at the Dubai Airshow in DWC, from 13-17 November, on the Emirates stand.

Offering a chance to own a piece of history, the materials used to craft the stylish collection have been gathered from the iconic Emirates A380, as well as from 777 aircraft. All kinds of surprising materials have been repurposed for the luggage and bags, from aluminium headrests, to leather from couches in the A380 onboard lounge, to seatbelts and even fur from the Captains seat. From 16 retrofitted aircraft, more than 14,000kg of materials have already been recovered. As the project continues, there is scope to recover up to 270kg of leather and 627kg of seat fabric, per retrofitted aircraft.

As each piece is handmade to order, customers may be able to request personalised laser engraving on some exclusive, one-of-a-kind bags, suitcases or document holders. Aviation fans will be able to register their interest soon, but these special pieces are in limited quantity.

The materials used are high quality pure leather from the First Class Seats, seat fabrics of 95% wool and pure leather from the Captain’s seats. All fabrics are freshly laundered in a facility, then further deep cleaned by hand, leather-conditioned if required, and thoroughly disinfected before being sewn into unique pieces. Brand new lining is added to the bags, along with functional zippers.

Emirates has a team of 14 ‘tailors’, officially titled as Engineering Maintenance Assistants, whose role involves fixing and stitching any tears in the interiors of Emirates vast aircraft fleet. Four of these tailors are currently dedicated full-time to the upcycling initiative, crafting upcycled products and collaborating with suppliers for ideas on how to repurpose various materials.

In August 2022, Emirates undertook the largest known fleet retrofit project, as part of a multi-billion-dollar investment to elevate customer experience. Emirates aims to upgrade the entire interior cabins of 120 of its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft – two of the largest commercial aircraft types in service today. Managed entirely by Emirates’ Engineering team, the retrofit is a considerable project that will take a minimum of 2 years to complete. Once the 67 earmarked A380s are refreshed and back in service, 53 777s will then undergo their facelift. This will see nearly 4,000 brand new Premium Economy seats installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design when the project is complete.

Virtual power plants can help mitigate storm damage

Our region was hit by storms that severely damaged the electricity transmission network in several countries this August. In Croatia, this caused more high impact blackouts. Consumption fell drastically, but the amount of energy produced remained unchanged, creating a surplus on the grid and putting the TSO in a difficult situation. What can operators do in this situation and how can energy producers benefit from it? Kornél Tóth, energy market expert, says virtual power plants could be the answer.

Stanislav Chvála, CEO of Nano Energies

The electricity network is highly exposed to increasingly frequent extreme weather conditions, and it is easy to damage transmission lines, for example in a major storm. In Croatia, there have been several incidents recently, with 27 transmission line poles damaged or toppled, and the network has been severely damaged. In such cases, the blackouts cause sudden power cuts, but the energy already generated is retained. This summer we have seen similar storms in Hungary, and with the growth of renewable energy sources, it is becoming increasingly easy for the grid to become unbalanced, so it is worth being prepared for events like the ones in Croatia.

Weather disruptions mainly affect the distribution infrastructure of the electricity grid, i.e. the transmission between generation and consumption. The system continues to produce energy, also because of the increasing share of renewables, but damaged transmission lines mean that there is no way to get this energy to consumers. When some of the users are suddenly disconnected from the grid, the resulting excess energy poses a significant risk. End-user devices are not fit to handle the surplus, which can damage them and lead to dangerous accidents. In the energy system, a balance between production and consumption must be maintained at all times and producers should be regulated accordingly.

A flexibility aggregator providers help to balance the grid by coordinating consumption and production, explains Kornél Tóth, Head of Nano Energies Hungary. „During the Croatian storm, we had to hold back our partners' production for 75 minutes to stabilise the system, which ultimately freed the grid from 14 MW of excess energy. However, despite the curtailment, our customers received an extra revenue of around €10,000 instead of a loss, while the load on the grid was reduced. This type of grid balancing ancillary service is also available in Hungary, so Hungarian producers or consumers can help balance the grid in similar cases, which also means a higher extra revenue stream for them than in Croatia" adds Kornél Tóth .

Flexibility aggregators, which act as a virtual power plant and access otherwise untapped energy resources, will play a key role in grid developments in the coming years. They help suppliers produce electricity when they get the best price and consumers to use electricity when it is cheapest.

"Producers are already compensated for being on standby to reduce or shut down plant output and receive additional revenue for the activation itself. The resulting revenue covers, and usually exceeds, the amount the plant would have earned by generating electricity," adds Kornél Tóth.