From January next year, the Druzhba pipeline will be closed. This information was given by Myhaylo Podolyak, advisor to the President of Ukraine, after the meeting of the European Union foreign ministers. During the summit, he informed the EU ministers that Ukraine would not extend the transit contract with Gazprom. Ukraine remains open to the transit of oil that does not come from Russia, via the “Brotherhood” pipeline.
Ukraine closes Druzhba pipeline
This means that the operation of the “Przyjaźń” pipeline will be terminated from the beginning of next year. The Ukrainian decision will hit Hungary, Slovakia and The czech republic. The oil industry of these countries was mostly based on Russian raw material, which was largely transported through this pipeline. For the Hungarians, the only alternative will remain the Adriatic pipeline, but they are fighting with Croatia to reduce price transit of oil via this route.
Hungarians have a problem and Czechs have a solution
Right after the announcement of the Ukrainian authorities and the meeting of the EU foreign ministers, the head of Hungarian diplomacy, straight from Brusselsflew to St. Petersburg, Russia. He is to hold talks on energy security there Hungarian. This is the headquarters of Gazprom, the main supplier of oil to Slovakia and Hungary. The owner of refineries in both countries is the Hungarian concern MOL.
There is less panic in the Czech Republic. Even though Russian oil was crucial for the country. Last year, Orlen refineries in Litvinov and Kralupy nad Vltavou imported almost seven and a half million tons of oil, of which 58 percent was Russian oil.
Already in June prime minister Petr Fiala declared that the Czech Republic will become independent from Russian oil by the middle of next year at the latest. This will be possible thanks to the expansion of the TAL transalpine oil pipeline, which transports oil delivered to the port of Trieste into the heart of Europe. The modernization is to last until the end of the year; then operational tests will begin.
– We will be able to deliver four billion tons more oil per year via the western route, which will practically replace the oil delivered via the Druzhba pipeline. I am glad to announce that after 60 years we will soon become independent from Russian oil – said Petr Fiala.