Kazakh oil transit to Germany has been secured following an agreement between pipeline operators in Poland and Russia, Reuters reported, citing sources.
This agreement ensures that power will not be interrupted in June, as previously feared.
It comes after a warning of a possible shutdown due to certification issues with oil flow meters in Poland, which are essential for transit.
Poland’s PERN, Russia’s Transneft and Germany’s PCK Schwedt refinery have reached an agreement on the appointment of a non-Russian company to maintain the oil flow meters on the Polish section of the Druzhba pipeline.
The move allays concerns that PERN would violate Western sanctions against Russia.
A Slovak company has been selected to provide the necessary measurement services, reducing the risk of sanctions for PERN.
The certification of the meters, which must be carried out periodically to meet Russian standards, had become a controversial issue.
Transneft, the operator of the Druzhba pipeline, had warned Kazakhstan last month that oil transit to Germany could be disrupted by the standoff.
With a capacity to transport two million barrels of oil per day, the Druzhba pipeline is one of the largest in the world.
Kazakhstan is highly dependent on Russian infrastructure for its oil exports. The country’s oil exports, amounting to 1.5 million barrels per day or 1.5% of global supply, are mainly routed through Russian pipelines.
The northern part of the Druzhba system, which serves Germany via Poland and Belarus, is currently used for Kazakh KEBCO oil exports to the Schwedt refinery.
This refinery is a major supplier of Berlin’s fuel needs.
Although the volume is relatively modest, with an expected 1.2 million tons this year, it has allowed Germany to reduce its dependence on Russian oil – a commitment Berlin made in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kazakh state oil company KazMunayGaz has confirmed the extension of its contract to supply the Schwedt refinery until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, a PERN spokeswoman said the company is working with contractors to ensure a solution is in line with current legislation.
Kaztransoil, Kazakhstan’s pipeline operator, has indicated that there are currently no restrictions on shipping Kazakh crude to the Adamowo base on the Polish section of the pipeline near the Belarusian border.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed in a written response to Reuters that “Kazakhstan and Russian parties have agreed to ship 1.2 million tons of crude oil from Kazakhstan to the Schwedt refinery via Transneft and Druzhba trunk systems.”
Requests for comment were not answered by Transneft and the German Economics Ministry declined to comment on company-specific issues, the publication said.
“Pipeline Operators Solve Problem in Securing Kazakh Oil Transit to Germany” was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a brand owned by GlobalData.
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