Latest news with #TransalpinePipeline
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Czech Republic no longer taking Russian oil after new pipeline opened
The Czech Republic will no longer be importing oil from Russia, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Thursday at the opening ceremony for a new connection to the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) in Nelahozeves in the north of the country. The new pipeline will start supplying the country with crude brought into the Italian port of Trieste on the Adriatic coast. The pipeline's capacity was increased as part of the TAL-PLUS project. "This is a truly historic moment, as after 60 years our dependence on Russia is finally at an end. This is important and good news. Russia will no longer be able to blackmail us with a halt to oil supplies," Fiala said at the ceremony. No oil had in fact been flowing through the Druzhba Pipeline, which had for decades supplied the country with Russian oil, since March 4. The reason given was problems with making payments for the oil as a result of US sanctions on Russian banks imposed following the invasion of Ukraine. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were granted an exemption from European Union sanctions on Russia to allow them to continue to receive Russian oil. The other two countries plan to continue taking Russian oil, according to Hungary's MOL oil and gas company, which supplies them.
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.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Czech Republic should end use of Russian oil, minister says
The Czech Republic should finally stop receiving Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, Industry Minister Lukáš Vlček said on Monday. He told the public television channel CT that the final decision lies with the refinery operator Orlen Unipetrol, which has been under Polish ownership since 2005. No Russian oil has been flowing through the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic since March 4. According to earlier reports, this is because of payment problems due to the US sanctions imposed on Russian banks because of the war in Ukraine. Orlen Unipetrol is taking steps to diversify and has already placed orders for oil deliveries from the North Sea and other production areas, Vlček said. The government in Prague has also made up to 330,000 tons of oil from the state reserves available on loan, which will cover demand for around 90 days, he added. For decades, the Druzhba pipeline, which was built while the country was under socialist rule, formed the backbone of the Czech Republic's oil supply, running from the Russian oil fields to Central Europe. The Czech Republic, along with Slovakia and Hungary, was granted a temporary exemption from the European Union's ban on Russian oil imports in order to give it time to develop alternative supply routes. The country may now be able to end its dependence on Russian oil sooner than planned. The Transalpine Pipeline (TAL), which supplies Central Europe with crude oil from the port of Trieste in northern Italy, could provide an alternative supply. Its capacity has recently been increased as part of the TAL-Plus project.
