Kralupy nad Vltavou, 15 July 2022 – The TAL consortium, of which the Czech Republic owns a 5% share through the company MERO ČR, received an operating permit from the Bavarian government, which will increase the total capacity of the TAL crude oil pipeline to the level of roughly half of the current supplies from the Druzhba crude oil pipeline to the Czech Republic.
This operating permit will make it possible to immediately pump a higher flow along the entire route of the TAL crude oil pipeline and thereby increase its total capacity. Currently, the capacity of TAL for supplies to the Czech Republic is between 3-4 million tons of crude oil per year. “It will be possible to use the maximum performance of the crude oil pipeline system and increase its performance by several percent”, said Zdeněk Dundr, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Operational and Technical Director of MERO ČR. Annually, this represents 1.5-2 million tons of additional transport capacity in total, which could be used by the Czech Republic in the event of supply interruptions via the Druzhba pipeline. This capacity, together with state’s emergency oil reserves, will create conditions for the safe supply of domestic refineries in the event of a crisis situation in crude oil supplies.
The TAL crude oil pipeline, to which the IKL crude oil pipeline is connected in Bavaria, is an important supply route for eight European refineries, including both refineries in the Czech Republic. Deliveries to the Czech Republic via the TAL crude oil pipeline and the connecting IKL crude oil pipeline cover approximately 50% of domestic crude oil consumption. The other half is provided via the Druzhba crude oil pipeline. The IKL crude oil pipeline has sufficient capacity to fully supply the Czech Republic. Due to its carrying capacity when supplying several refineries, the TAL crude oil pipeline does not have sufficient capacity to ensure 100% supply of crude oil to the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic, through the company MERO ČR, of which it is a 100% owner, is striving to strategically intensify the TAL crude oil pipeline, so that from 2024 it will be possible to completely replace supplies via the Druzhba crude oil pipeline and ensure full supply via the TAL crude oil pipeline. “The newly issued operating permit is designed so that after the completion of technical measures it will be possible to increase the supply to the Czech Republic through the TAL crude oil pipeline, up to the required 7-8 million tons per year”, added Jaroslav Pantůček, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MERO ČR.
