- Title: Czech Republic's need for Russian oil ended by pipeline upgrade
- Date: 14th January 2025
- Summary: NELAHOZEVES, CZECH REPUBLIC (JANUARY 14, 2025) (REUTERS) CZECH PRIME MINISTER, PETR FIALA, GIVING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH PRIME MINISTER, PETR FIALA, SAYING: "We can state that we have reached a situation where (Russian President) Vladimir Putin cannot blackmail us with oil. Not even by stopping our oil supply." FIALA SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH PR
- Embargoed: 28th January 2025 18:19
- Keywords: Czech government EU imports of Russian oil Petr Fiala Russian oil imports TAL pipeline
- Location: NELAHOZEVES, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: NELAHOZEVES, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Commodities Markets,Europe,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001317414012025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Upgrades to boost the capacity for oil deliveries to the Czech Republic via the TAL pipeline are complete, ending the country's need to import Russian crude, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday (January 14).
The Czech Republic has worked to wean itself off Russian oil and gas since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Fiala said the completion of the work meant Russia could not "blackmail" the country with the threat of reducing or stopping oil supplies.
The upgrades to the Trans Alpine (TAL) pipeline, running from Italy to Germany before feeding into a connector, double the capacity available for the Czech Republic to 8 million metric tons a year, enough for its annual needs.
State pipeline company MERO has said it expects to start increasing oil shipments in the second quarter.
(Production: Radan Sprongl, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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