The $130 million investment is part of the $1.3 billion Residue Upgrade Project that Grupa Lotos has begun in a complex of Gdansk refineries to help them operate more efficiently and satisfy growing regulatory demands for environmentally friendly refinery products.

The desulfurization unit will enable Grupa Lotos to comply with EU requirements that diesel oil contain less than 10 parts per million of sulfur, which will come into force in 2009.

ABB Lummus Global's business in Wiesbaden, Germany, is responsible for detailed engineering, procurement of equipment and material, construction and civil work, and construction management including commissioning.

The project will be implemented on a fast-track schedule, with start-up planned for early 2009.

The desulfurization technology is based on a Chevron Lummus Global process, and will allow Grupa Lotos to increase production of ultra-low diesel fuel to approximately 2.3 million metric tons annually. This number will increase when a new crude distillation unit is added to the project.

Grupa Lotos is the second largest refiner of crude oil in Poland, where it markets petroleum and related products via a wholesale and retail distribution system that includes a large network of service stations in Poland.

ABB provides power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 107,000 people.