EC approves Orlen takeover of Turmol fuel station chain in Austria

The European Commission (EC) has not presented any objections to the takeover by Poland's dominant energy conglomerate, Orlen Group, of Austrian company Doppler Energie, which operates 266 filling stations in Austria under the Turmol brand. 

The EC said in an announcement on its website on Tuesday that the acquisition "would not raise competition concerns, given the companies' limited combined market positions resulting from the proposed transaction."

Orlen Group wrote in a market filing in July: "The company has concluded an agreement with Doppler Beteiligungs GmbH ... resulting in the acquisition of 100 percent of shares in Doppler Energie GmbH..., the operator of the Austrian network of petrol stations under the Turmol brand."

The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

Turmol is Austria's third-largest network of filling stations, controlling approximately 14 percent of the country's wholesale fuels market.

Orlen said almost half the fuel stations acquired were self-service outlets that enabled customers to pay at the pump