Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to Czechia resumed this morning

Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to Czechia resumed this morning. Mariusz Wnuk, CEO of the Orlen Unipetrol refining group, told CTK. Oil from Russia had not flowed into the Czech Republic for two days, and the authorities did not disclose the reason. During that time, Czechia drew oil only from the western route.

Oil has so far flowed into Czechia from two main sources. One is the Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia. Its share of supplies last year was 58 percent. The rest of the oil comes via the German IKL pipeline, which connects to the Italian TAL pipeline.

„Oil supplies resumed this morning, and oil is flowing through the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic again. We thank the Government of the Czech Republic and the State Administration of State Material Reserves for their swift preventive action and cooperation,“ Wnuk said.

„We bridged the supply delay using our own stocks, and fuel production continued throughout,“ the head of Orlen Unipetrol added.

Oil stopped flowing into Czechia from the east on Wednesday morning. According to the authorities, the reasons for the supply halt were unclear. In response, the government made a preventive decision to loan Orlen Unipetrol 330.000 tonnes of oil from emergency reserves. The refining company was due to start drawing on them in the event of a longer supply disruption next week. „There was no need to use the loaned Czech reserves for the refinery in Litvínov,“ said Pavel Švagr, head of the State Administration of State Material Reserves.

According to Švagr, the state currently has 86 days' worth of oil and oil products in reserve. „By the end of the year, however, we should be back up to 90 days. Orlen Unipetrol should return the diesel it borrowed in August, when it halted production to dispose of an unexploded aerial bomb, by then,“ Švagr added.

The state plans to increase supplies via the TAL pipeline in the future. State-owned pipeline operator Mero began work on its expansion last year. The project, costing approximately 1,6 billion koruna, is due to increase capacity for Czechia by four million tonnes of oil a year from next year, making it possible to deliver up to eight million tonnes a year to the country through the pipeline. Under the state's current plans, Czechia could therefore completely cut itself off from Russian oil. Physical work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Testing and finishing work will follow, with Mero expecting full supplies via the expanded pipeline by the middle of next year.

The TAL pipeline begins in Trieste, where oil is imported from several countries and continents. The largest share comes from areas around the Caspian and Black seas, the United States and Africa.

Czechia has previous experience with a temporary halt to oil supplies via Druzhba: in 2019, deliveries through the pipeline were stopped because the oil was contaminated. Oil did not flow through Druzhba for two months.