Czechia plans to fully cease imports of Russian oil by July 2025 following the completion of a $60 million upgrade to the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL), which will increase the transit of the oil from the West, Reuters reported, citing Zdeněk Dundr, COO of Czech state-owned oil pipeline operator MERO on November 22.
“If we can confirm in the first quarter that everything is ready, there will be a gradual logistical switch. From the second half of the year, the plan is for a full transition to non-Russian oil supplies,” Dundr said, adding that July is the anticipated month when Russian oil imports will end entirely.
Currently, Czechia meets about half of its oil demand with Russian imports, but the European Union’s ban on most Russian oil—introduced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022—has spurred the country’s push to diversify.
The upgrade to the TAL pipeline, which runs from Italy to Germany and connects to Czechia, will double its capacity for Czech imports to 8 million tons annually.
“By the end of this year, TAL will be able to operate at the maximum capacity required for Czechia’s supply,” Dundr confirmed.
Czechia first began diversifying its oil sources in 1995 with the construction of the IKL pipeline linking TAL in southern Germany. Despite these efforts, one of the country’s two refineries, operated by Poland’s PKN Orlen, has continued to process Russian oil.
Earlier, it was reported that Czech oil refineries generated over a billion euros in profits by taking advantage of discounts on Russian fuel, despite having viable alternatives and no pressing need to rely on it.
