MOL Group, one of the key players in the Central and Eastern European petrochemical industry, is consistently implementing its strategy to diversify crude oil supply sources. The company's latest achievement is the import of 85,000 tons of Caspian crude and the signing of an agreement with Kazakhstan's state-owned oil company KazMunayGas (KMG). The cooperation between the two companies has been ongoing since 2004 and is being systematically developed, as evidenced by further joint projects and strategic agreements signed in recent years.
The CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) crude oil shipment arrived from the port of Novorossiysk to Omišalj, Croatia, supplementing the region's raw material supplies via maritime routes. The CPC blend, consisting mainly of Kazakh oil, is a key element of MOL Group's diversification program. Kazakh crude is one of 14 grades tested and regularly processed at the Bratislava refinery, enabling the company to respond flexibly to changing market conditions and ensuring continuity of production.
Photo: MOL Group
Strategic partnerships and infrastructure development
As emphasized by Gabriel Szabó, Executive Vice President for Downstream at MOL Group, the company has been investing for years in the development of the Adria pipeline and related infrastructure, increasing the flexibility of refinery technologies and seeking new, reliable supply routes. A key aspect of this strategy is establishing long-term relationships with reliable suppliers and testing high-quality alternative crude grades. The latest agreement with KazMunayGas is another step towards strengthening the energy security of the entire region.
At the end of 2024, MOL and KMG signed a strategic agreement on cooperation in hydrocarbon exploration and production, technology transfer, and the supply of crude oil and petrochemical products. The cooperation also includes joint projects with China's Sinopec, such as gas and gas condensate production at the Rozhkowskoye field and the implementation of MOL technologies in Kazakhstan. These activities allow the expansion of the raw material portfolio and increase the company's resilience to market fluctuations.
Supply diversification and new import directions
In addition to Kazakh crude, MOL Group is actively developing imports from other sources. A recent agreement with MVM covers the import of 160,000 tons of Azerbaijani crude per year, accounting for about 1.5% of MOL's refinery throughput. Azerbaijani oil has been used by the company for several years - in 2020, MOL acquired a stake in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field, which enabled the delivery of 5 million barrels of crude to the region last year.
These actions confirm that MOL Group is effectively building a sustainable and secure raw material supply system, which is crucial both for its own operations and for the energy stability of Central and Eastern Europe.
