GDANSK, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Polish state-controlled

refiner Orlen ( PSKOF ) said on Wednesday it plans to buy out the

remaining shares in its utility unit Energa to take

full ownership, with a price tag of about 709 million zlotys

($189 million).

The move will see Orlen ( PSKOF ) integrate the utility more deeply

into its energy transition strategy. The refiner is offering

18.87 zlotys per share for the 37.6 million shares it does not

already own.

Shareholders can submit sale offers between December 1 and

December 17, the company said in a regulatory filing. It said

that it could also start buying Energa shares on the market from

November 27.

Orlen ( PSKOF ), which acquired a majority stake in Energa in 2020, is

pursuing a 380-billion-zloty investment strategy focused on

renewables, low-emission sources like offshore wind, and nuclear

power.

Taking full control of Energa and its distribution network

is seen as a way to better execute this transition plan, giving

Orlen ( PSKOF ) command over key grid infrastructure needed for new energy

projects.

The decision comes amid broad uncertainty in Poland's energy

sector, as the government has yet to announce a plan for the

unprofitable coal assets that burden other state-controlled

utilities like PGE and Tauron.

Poland's government last year scrapped a plan by its

predecessors to create a national agency that would take over

coal assets from utilities, leaving companies to pursue

individual transformation paths.