Oil supplies to Czech Republic via Russia's Druzhba pipeline have resumed
Oil supplies to the Czech Republic via Russia's Druzhba pipeline have resumed, the Czech Republic's Mero pipeline operator said.
The Czech Republic inexplicably ceased receiving oil via the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday morning. Russia's Transneft pipeline operator said that oil was being pumped on schedule via Russia's section of the pipeline.
The Czech government approved the release of 330,000 tonnes of oil from state reserves in case supplies were not resumed soon.
According to information on the ORLEN Unipetrol website, the company owns two refineries in the Czech Republic, Litvinov and Kralupy, both of which are partially supplied via the Druzhba pipeline. The southern branch of the pipeline terminates at the Litvinov refinery. The refineries are also connected to the TAL pipeline, which runs from Trieste in Italy to Germany and from there via the IKL pipeline into the Czech Republic. The refineries are also capable of processing oil from domestic producers, which can be transported via the Druzhba pipeline or in rail tankers.
The Druzhba pipeline begins in Russia, passes through Belarus and then splits into northern and southern branches. The southern branch continues to Ukraine and Slovakia, with offshoots to Hungary and the Czech Republic.