Czech Republic ends dependence on Russian oil with pipeline upgrade

The Czech Republic has officially eliminated its reliance on Russian crude oil following the completion of upgrades to the Trans Alpine (TAL) pipeline, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on January 21. 

This marks a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to achieve energy independence since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Caliber.Az reports referring to international media.

Previously, the Czech Republic depended on the Druzhba pipeline, which delivered half of its oil supplies from Russia. However, the TAL pipeline now has the capacity to meet the nation’s entire annual oil demand. “This is a crucial moment for the Czech Republic because Russia can no longer blackmail us with energy supplies,” Fiala stated.

The upgrades to the TAL pipeline, which runs from Italy through Germany and connects to the Czech network via the IKL pipeline, have doubled the available capacity for Czech oil imports to 8 million metric tons per year. While testing and certification are still underway, Fiala noted that the country is already prepared to rely on TAL in case of disruptions to Russian oil flows.

The Czech Republic began diversifying its energy sources in 1995 with the construction of the IKL pipeline, but one of the country’s two refineries — both owned by Poland’s Orlen — continued to process Russian crude. Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura announced that Orlen’s Czech unit, Unipetrol, expects to cease all Russian oil purchases in the second half of the year.

Unipetrol confirmed in a separate statement that it plans to transition to new crude blends once the upgraded TAL pipeline becomes fully operational, which is expected by the end of the first half of 2025.

While the Czech Republic has been exempt from European Union sanctions on Russian pipeline oil due to its prior dependency, the completion of this project underscores the nation’s commitment to energy security.

State pipeline company MERO, which oversees Czech oil imports, expects to increase shipments via the TAL pipeline starting in the second quarter of 2025. Despite the shift, MERO operations director Zdenek Dundr noted that the Druzhba pipeline would remain as a backup supply option.

By Tamilla Hasanova