Resumption of Russian Oil Supply to Czech Republic Through Druzhba Pipeline

Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic are set to resume after resolving payment issues involving Ukraine. The halt affected refining operations at the Litvinov refinery, although reserves provided temporary relief. The Czech government authorized a strategic oil reserve loan to Unipetrol, the refining company.

Oil flows from Russia to the Czech Republic through the Druzhba pipeline are anticipated to resume on Friday, following the resolution of payment complications involving Ukrainian transit, sources informed Reuters. The interruption commenced on Tuesday, with Czech refiner Unipetrol identifying the issue, although the cause was initially unknown.

Industry insiders revealed that the disruption stemmed from payment difficulties between Russia's Rosneft and transit country Ukraine, but a solution was negotiated. Meanwhile, the Litvinov refinery maintained operations utilizing reserves, with resources sufficient for a week before needing state-provided reserves, according to an Unipetrol spokesperson.

The Czech government sanctioned a 330,000 metric ton loan of oil from state reserves for Unipetrol. Neither Czech pipeline operator MERO nor Unipetrol could verify resumption timelines. Despite the halt, oil product supplies within the Czech market remained unaffected, echoing the resilience demonstrated during a 2019 two-month pause in Druzhba supplies.

(With inputs from agencies.)