Orlen Unipetrol starts drawing oil from Czech state reserves as Russian Druzhba pipeline remains dry

Refiner Orlen Unipetrol is beginning to use the oil promised from state reserves. Oil is still not flowing through the Russian Druzhba pipeline. The company announced this today on X. According to the company, Orlen Unipetrol’s refineries in Czechia are operating without restrictions for now. Last week, Pavel Švagr, head of the Czech State Material Reserves Administration (SSHR), told journalists that if supplies through Druzhba are restricted for a longer period, the state will lend Orlen Unipetrol up to 330.000 tonnes of oil from emergency reserves, enough to keep the refineries running for more than a month. He said there was therefore no risk of an oil shortage on the domestic market.

„Since oil is still not flowing through the Druzhba pipeline, we are starting to draw oil from state reserves in the coming days,“ Orlen Unipetrol said.

„A framework loan of up to 330.000 tonnes of oil will enable us to ensure that fuel production continues at the Litvínov refinery. Fuel production is currently running without restrictions and at full capacity at both of our refineries, in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou,“ the company added.