Although rather significant, the decline was a visible trend among the major oil companies, as 2020 was one of the most difficult years for the industry due to movement restrictions required by the pandemic.
The sales volumes shrank by 8% last year, according to officially available data. Beyond the decline in volumes, lower fuel prices also played a part in the poorer results of the major oil businesses, as the oil price fell by more than 40% in the first half of 2020.
MOL Romania’s profit reached RON280.7 million, while the number of employees stood at 242.
“Despite the overall difficult climate generated by the pandemic and especially the restrictions in March-April 2020, MOL Romania continued to perform, posting a rise in profit to RON280 milion in 2020. The net revenue was impacted, as the pandemic also generated a lower consumption,” says Camelia Ene, CEO and country chairman of MOL Romania.
“Early this year we were faced with a new wave of the pandemic, but we are optimistic and hope demand will return by the end of 2021.”
The most important plans of the company this year include investments in gas stations, as well as in expanding its presence on the electric mobility segment.
Following a public tender of Romania’s company in charge of road infrastructure CNAIR, MOL won seven contracts to build 14 rest areas on the some of the most important routes in Romania: six on the Lugoj-Deva highway, four on the Orastie-Sibiu highway, two on the Bucharest-Pitesti highway and two on the Medgidia-Constanta highway, MOL representatives said.
The rest areas will include refueling services, EV charging services, Fresh Corner concept in specially designed buildings, personal hygiene facilities, dedicated outdoor areas for truck drivers, special areas for pets. They will also come with two fast EV charging stations, MOL Romania added.
The company has its own electric mobility project, Plugee, as well as one in partnership with Germany’s E.ON, NEXT-E.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)