State-controlled Polish refiner Orlen and private defence technology company Grupa WB have agreed to work together to improve the security of critical infrastructure, Orlen said on Tuesday.
The Baltic Sea region is on high alert following power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Under an agreement the two companies signed, they will cooperate to ensure energy security by protecting maritime infrastructure and to counter criminal acts including terrorism, diversion, and sabotage.
They said the agreement also covers the implementation of innovative unmanned systems and advanced monitoring technologies, drawing on Grupa WB's expertise as a supplier of advanced defence solutions.
In addition to its refineries, Orlen diversifies Poland's energy sources by importing liquefied natural gas through the Swinoujscie terminal and it is developing offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.
"Orlen has strategic significance not only for Poland but for the entire region," CEO Ireneusz Fafara said in the statement.
(Reporting by Alicja Surdy, additional reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Marek Strzelecki; editing by Barbara Lewis)
