Orlen opens expanded Wierzchowice gas storage, lifting Poland's total capacity to 4.1 bcm

Capacity rises by more than 60 percent

On 4 November 2026 Orlen officially opened the expanded underground gas storage facility at Wierzchowice, near Krośnice and Milicz in Lower Silesia. Its working capacity grew by 800 million cubic metres, from 1.3 billion to 2.1 billion, an increase of more than 60 percent. Reports say the site now holds more than half of all gas stored in Poland, which makes it the country's largest storage facility. Radio Wrocław reported a total of over four billion cubic metres for all Polish underground storage, while the energy minister cited 3.3 billion before the expansion, a discrepancy the sources do not resolve.

Before expansion1.3

After expansion, 4 November 20262.1

Before expansion

1.3 bcm

After expansion, 4 November 2026

2.1 bcm

Data from the article text

Three years of work and a value of about 580 million zloty

The expansion took three years to build. Orlen put the project value at 580 million zloty, while other reporting put the cost at just under 600 million zloty. The work added three new wells for injecting and withdrawing gas, an upgraded installation for drying gas and additional compressor units, which together let operators top up stocks as needed and feed gas into the grid. Ireneusz Fąfara, Orlen's president, told a press conference that nearly 1,000 workers, 40 companies and 30 suppliers were involved. Orlen Technologie was the main contractor and supervisor, Orlen Gazoprojekt prepared the design, and Exalo Drilling carried out the drilling. The site began as a natural gas mine operating from 1972 to 1995 before it was converted into a storage facility.

Fąfara said the project lets the company look ahead with more confidence.

“Thanks to this, we will be able to look safely toward our energy future.”

Further expansion and the local gain

Wiesław Prugar, Orlen's deputy president for upstream, said the facility was originally designed for 4.5 billion cubic metres and that its infrastructure is ready for a next stage of 3.5 billion, depending on how Poland's gas market develops. Radio Wrocław gives the ultimate target as 4.5 billion cubic metres, twice today's level, while Parkiet says the site was designed from the start for up to 4.2 billion. Regional marshal Paweł Gancarz said more than half a billion zloty has been spent in the region over the past three years, bringing extra municipal tax revenue and local jobs to the commune of Krośnice. Prugar added that Orlen, as the largest producer and importer of natural gas in Poland, uses domestic storage more than anyone else.

Energy security and Russian gas

Energy minister Miłosz Motyka presented the storage as a step toward energy security and more resilient infrastructure. He said that, thanks in part to this investment, there will be no return to Russian gas, arguing that Poland has full storage and a steady supply through the Baltic Pipe and the LNG terminal in Świnoujście. The minister put national storage capacity at 3.3 billion cubic metres before the expansion and 4.1 billion afterward, a level reached from the 2027/2028 season.

Before Wierzchowice expansion3.3

After expansion, from 2027/2028 season4.1

Before Wierzchowice expansion

3.3 bcm

After expansion, from 2027/2028 season

4.1 bcm

Data from the article text

Motyka called the day an important milestone for the country's energy system.

“This is a very important moment for our energy security and for Polish power engineering, because it is another step in strengthening it.”