Pantůček: Decision on future use of the Druzhba pipeline in Czechia needed within three years

A decision on the future use of the Czech section of the Druzhba pipeline, which carried Russian oil to Czechia for decades and has now been replaced by the expanded TAL pipeline, is needed within two to three years. The Druzhba pipeline can be kept in a mothballed state during that time. Its future use will be part of a planned strategic project, whose shape has not yet been decided. Jaroslav Pantůček, chairman of the board of MERO ČR, told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today at the 2025 Days of Heating and Energy conference in Olomouc.

Since last week, Russian oil has no longer flowed to the Czech Republic for the first time in history, following the completion of the expansion of the TAL pipeline, and after more than 60 years Czechia has become independent of the Druzhba pipeline. Last year, the Druzhba pipeline delivered 2.7 million tonnes of oil to the Czech Republic, accounting for 42 percent of the total. The country can now draw up to eight million tonnes of oil a year from western pipelines. This volume is enough to fully meet the needs of Czech refineries. Oil has not flowed to the Czech Republic through the Druzhba pipeline for several weeks.

Experts will prepare options for the possible use of the Druzhba pipeline. „This will be a major strategic project, which will probably be left to a future government. In its current condition—that is, filled with oil and pressurised—the Druzhba pipeline can remain for two to three years. A decision must be made by then on how it will be used in the future,“ Pantůček said. Options under consideration include retaining the transport of oil or another medium, emptying the pipeline and pressurising it with nitrogen, or using it, for example, to route data cables. „We are now preparing studies that we will evaluate. Once we have the results, we will make them public,“ Pantůček said.

The total length of the Druzhba pipeline route in the Czech Republic, including its parallel section, is now 473 kilometres. According to Pantůček, the outcome of the war in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022, will also influence the pipeline’s fate. A pipeline runs from Odesa on the Black Sea coast and connects to the Ukrainian branch of the Druzhba pipeline. This could allow oil from various parts of the world to flow to Czechia through this section of the Druzhba pipeline, while Ukrainians could use transit fees to fund post-war reconstruction. „That would be an excellent option. The question, though, is how the war will end and whether Odesa will remain in Ukrainian hands. There are many possible scenarios, so it is necessary to have several options (for using the Druzhba pipeline),“ Pantůček added.

The Czech government decided in November 2022 to implement the TAL-PLUS project, which increased the transport capacity of the European TAL pipeline. The decision was a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Technical work began in May 2024. According to Pantůček, the TAL-PLUS project will require an investment of between 1.3 and 1.6 billion crowns, which MERO is financing from its own resources.

The Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) has been in operation since 1967 and will now reach its design capacity for the first time. It starts in Trieste, Italy, and continues through Austria to Germany.