Latest news with #MERO
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Czechia independent of Russian oil for first time in history
Czechia is now completely independent of Russian oil, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and other officials announced on April 17, marking the first time in history no Russian pipeline oil flows to the country. Prague is receiving no supplies through Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline for the first time in over 60 years, securing alternative supplies thanks to the expansion of the western Transalpine Pipeline (TAL), running through Italy, Austria, and Germany. The move underscores Europe's efforts to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels in response to Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine. In May, the EU is expected to present a plan for a full phase-out of Russian fossil fuels by 2027. "We completed another step toward our energy independence," Fiala told journalists at the central oil storage facility near Prague alongside Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura and Jaroslav Pantucek, director of the state-run oil transit company MERO. Officials said Czechia has not been receiving Druzhba oil for several weeks. In recent years, Russian oil covered roughly half of the country's demand. Prague expects up to 8 million metric tons of oil from the western pipeline per year, which should be sufficient to cover its needs. While the EU banned Russian pipeline oil imports in 2022, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary received a waiver from the ban due to the lack of viable alternatives. Already in November 2022, the Czech government decided to launch the TAL-PLUS project to secure an alternative oil supply. Technical work on the project began in May 2024, and the same year, Prague said it would not seek an exemption from the ban on Russian oil. The Druzhba pipeline, running from Russia through Ukraine and Belarus to EU countries, was first launched in then-Czechoslovakia in 1962. Read also: Trump's Ukraine peace push is really about business — and Putin knows it We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Czechs to start oil imports through upgraded TAL pipeline in April
PRAGUE, March 27 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic will increase shipments of crude via the expanded TAL pipeline from Italy in April, Czech pipeline operator MERO said on Thursday, replacing imports of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline which were suspended this month. At the end of last year MERO completed an upgrade of TAL, which carries oil from tankers in the Italian port of Trieste to Germany where it feeds into the IKL pipeline to the Czech Republic. The expansion raises capacity available to the Czech Republic, giving the country full independence from supplies from Russia. Flows through Druzhba were to continue until June but have been halted since early March due to what sources said were payment issues related to sanctions on Russia. "Czechia will for the first time use the TAL-PLUS project," state-owned MERO said in a statement. "Oil shipments through the western route are increasing and thus will replace the interrupted supplies of Russian crude." Czech refiner Orlen Unipetrol ( opens new tab had been sourcing around half of its crude needs from Russia and the other half through TAL. It has been tapping oil from state reserves to keep up production after the halt in supplies through Druzhba but is preparing to switch to full supplies through TAL following the capacity increase.
