The Czech Republic is completely independent of Russian oil supplies for the first time in its history. This was announced by government officials quoted by Reuters, after the completion of the expansion of the TAL pipeline capacity, News.bg reports.
The first increased supplies have already reached the country's central oil depot, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced. The Czech government has been working for years to end its dependence on Russian oil, which has been supplied through the “Družba“ pipeline for nearly six decades.
At the end of 2024, Czech operator MERO will finalize the modernization of the Trans-Alpine Pipeline (TAL), which carries crude oil from tankers docking in the Italian port of Trieste to Germany. From there, oil supplies enter the Ingolstadt-Kralupy-Litvínov (IKL) pipeline, which supplies the Czech Republic.
The modernization increases the capacity for the Czech Republic to 8 million tons per year - enough to fully cover national consumption.
Until now, the Czech refinery Orlen Unipetrol obtained approximately half of its raw material from Russia and the rest via the TAL pipeline. After the suspension of supplies via the “Družba“ in March, the country temporarily used strategic oil reserves to maintain production. Now the Czech Republic is ready to switch entirely to supplies via TAL.