Germany learned that Russia plans to halt supplies of Kazakh oil via the "Druzhba" pipeline to a refinery in the east of the country starting May 1, the German Ministry of Energy informed AFP on Wednesday, LETA reports.
The German subsidiary of the Russian state oil company "Rosneft" — "Rosneft Deutschland," which is now under the control of the Federal Network Agency of Germany, has notified German regulatory authorities that the Russian Ministry of Energy has ordered a halt to supplies, the agency notes, adding that Moscow did not inform the German government of such a decision.
"Rosneft Deutschland is currently assessing the potential consequences of the supply halt for the refinery and is utilizing all available options to ensure supply reliability in Germany," the ministry explained.
The "PCK" refinery, located in Schwedt on the Oder River near the Polish border, supplies fuel to a significant part of the Berlin region; however, the German Ministry of Energy expressed confidence that the impact will be limited.
"The absence of Kazakh oil supplies to the 'PCK' refinery does not threaten the security of fuel supply in Germany, even if the facility operates at reduced capacity," the ministry noted.
Kazakh oil is transported via the "Druzhba" pipeline through Russian territory. One branch of the pipeline runs through Belarus and Poland to Germany, while another runs through Ukraine to Hungary.
In September 2022, the German Ministry of Economy decided to place the subsidiaries of "Rosneft" — "Rosneft Deutschland" and "RN Refining & Marketing" — under the control of the Federal Network Agency ("Bundesnetzagentur"). These two companies jointly hold a controlling stake in the "PCK" refinery.
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