Czech Republic Becomes First Country to Completely Cut Off Russian Oil Supply
In a historic move marking the end of an era, the Czech Republic has officially stopped importing Russian oil, becoming the first European country to completely cut off dependence on the Druzhba pipeline after more than 60 years, The Gaze reports. citing CTK.
The milestone was announced on Wednesday at the Central Oil Tank Farm in Nelahozeves, where Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura declared the successful launch of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) extension. The TAL is a crude oil pipeline that connects Italy, Austria, and Germany.
With the completion of the TAL-PLUS project, oil is now flowing from the Italian port of Trieste through Western Europe and into the Czech Republic, supplying the Litvínov refinery exclusively with non-Russian crude.
This move solidifies Czech energy independence amid ongoing efforts across the EU to reduce reliance on Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“We have completed another step on the road to our energy independence,” Prime Minister Fiala said.
The country can now import up to eight million tonnes of crude annually through the Transalpine (TAL) pipeline—enough to meet the full needs of domestic refineries. Previously, about half of the Czech Republic’s oil supply came from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, which started operating in former Czechoslovakia in 1962.
The future role of the Druzhba pipeline is under consideration as part of a strategic energy infrastructure plan, but no specific decision has been announced.
Read more on The Gaze: EU to Unveil Plan to Cut Russian Energy Imports in May