Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline were cut off just a day before the end of an EU waiver allowing the Czech Republic to receive Russian oil.
Czech officials have confirmed that Russian oil flows to the country via the Druzhba pipeline have been disrupted since December 4. The cause of the problem is not yet clear.
“Czech refineries are well prepared for this situation and we have a strong state reserve system,” said Czech Industry and Trade Minister Lukas Vlcek.
Mero, the state-owned company that operates the pipeline, is monitoring the situation and insists that the Czech Republic's oil supplies are not threatened by the developments.
Mero informed that the Czech Republic has oil reserves for 90 days and the TAL and IKL oil pipelines are operating as normal.
Orlen Unipetrol refinery said its operations were not affected by the loss of Russian oil flows from the Druzhba pipeline.
After the government meeting, Minister Vlcek announced that the state is ready to lend Orlen Unipetrol 330,000 tons of crude oil from state reserves if the disruption persists.
Along with Hungary and Slovakia, the Czech Republic was exempted from the EU ban on Russian oil imports via pipelines in 2022 after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. The three countries stressed the need for time to change their energy systems, which are heavily dependent on Russian oil.
The EU's exemption for the Czech Republic expires on December 5. Euro News reports that developments indicate that the Czech Republic is not seeking to extend this exemption.
Currently, the Czech Republic relies on two main sources of crude oil. According to the state-run Czech News Agency, the Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia, accounted for 58% of the country’s supply last year. The remaining supply is distributed via Germany’s IKL pipeline, which connects to Italy’s TAL pipeline.
Over the past few years, Prague has invested to double the capacity of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) to 8 million tonnes per year to transport oil from a seaport in Trieste, Italy.
The Czech Republic is a close ally of Ukraine. Earlier this year, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stressed that peace and security across Europe depended on deterring Russia’s actions.
Diplomats in Brussels discussed the future of an EU exemption allowing the Czech Republic to import Russian diesel and other oil products, part of the 15th round of EU sanctions against Russia, Reuters reported on Thursday. Diplomats said talks on the issue would resume on Friday.
