Kralupy nad Vltavou, 11 April 2024 – MERO ČR continues to strengthen the security of crude oil transportation to the Czech Republic. In cooperation with its subsidiary MERO Germany GmbH, MERO ČR has completed the largest modernization of the IKL crude oil pipeline in its history. After sixteen years, the control system for the transportation and storage of crude oil was completely replaced. The existing control system has been operating since 2008, but some of its elements even date back to 1995. The new SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) control system began operating in March of this year.
The costs associated with replacing the system amount to 265 million Czech Crowns. MERO ČR finances everything entirely from its revenues, i.e., without funding from the state budget.
The new control system has state-of-the-art system elements for dispatch control, data collection, and protection of crude oil transportation. It will also be more protected against potential cyberattacks. Its installation required several complex technical and technological measures, including the production of 65 new switchboards, three server centers, and the modification of the optical cables along the entire length of the IKL crude oil pipeline on its Czech and German sides, measuring a total length of 350 kilometers.
MERO ČR owns and operates two crude oil pipelines in the Czech Republic, IKL and Druzhba. The IKL crude oil pipeline transports oil to the Czech Republic via the western route. It begins in the German town of Vohburg an der Donau, where it connects to the European TAL crude oil pipeline, which transports crude oil from the Italian port of Trieste.
Jaroslav Pantůček, General Director of MERO ČR
MERO ČR is strengthening the security of crude oil transportation to the Czech Republic. The complete replacement of the control system on the IKL crude oil pipeline will provide us with the most state-of-the-art control elements as well as the highest level of protection for the transportation and storage of crude oil. Thanks to this, the crude oil pipeline will also be more protected against potential cyberattacks.
The replacement of the control system on the IKL crude oil pipeline mostly took place during its full operation. This is one of the most demanding technological operations on the crude oil infrastructure ever. We managed everything in less than 30 months, i.e., within a precisely determined time schedule. The cost of the new control system is 265 million Czech Crowns and will be fully covered by the revenues of MERO ČR.
I am pleased that the new control system was successfully launched and that both the set time schedule and the budget were adhered to entirely. I would like to thank all my colleagues who participated in this challenging project.
The modernization of the IKL crude oil pipeline is of strategic importance for the Czech Republic and is essential especially regarding the implementation of the TAL-PLUS project. This project will expand the capacity of the European TAL crude oil pipeline, and thanks to this, the Czech Republic will receive an additional four million tons of crude oil per year from the Italian port of Trieste, i.e., via the western route through the TAL and IKL crude oil pipelines.
By the end of this year, the Czech Republic will be independent of Russian crude oil from the Druzhba crude oil pipeline, which from 2025 will be gradually replaced by increased supplies from the IKL crude oil pipeline. For the first time in its history, the IKL crude oil pipeline will become the main crude oil pipeline for the Czech Republic from mid-2025, and therefore must be in the best possible technical condition.
Zdeněk Dundr, Operational and Technical Director, MERO ČR
Installation of a new control system is one of the most technologically complex operations. Work on the replacement of the control system began in September 2021 with the selection of the general contractor for the system, which is Siemens Energy Global GmbH. We set 30 months for the implementation of the entire project.
Installation of the new system required several complex technical and technological measures, including the elaboration of new technical and operational specifications, the production of 65 new switchboards, three server centers and the modification of the optical cables along the entire length of the IKL crude oil pipeline on its Czech and German sides. A unique operation was the replacement of the automated control stations of the valve chambers of the crude oil pipeline, which took place during the full operation of the IKL crude oil pipeline at 20 locations in Bavaria and 20 locations in the Czech Republic.
The final and critical phase of the switching equipment was the replacement of the automation and computer technology of the control centers in Vohburg and Nelahozeves. This demanding operation was planned for a long time with our business partners, as the operation of the IKL crude oil pipeline had to be interrupted for a total of 10 days. Work on the replacement of equipment was performed 24 hours a day, and technical and operational tests also performed at the same time.
The project was under the supervision of the Bavarian supervisory body TÜV for the entire period of implementation.
The work was completed one day ahead of schedule and the crude oil pipeline was put back into operation with a new control system. Thanks to the new control system, the IKL crude oil pipeline is one of the most state-of-the-art crude oil pipelines in Europe.
Replacement of the IKL control system in numbers
- 2019: the decision to replace the IKL control system was made
- 2021: the general contractor Siemens Energy Global GmbH was selected
- 30 months: total time taken to replace the IKL control system
- 16 years: the original IKL control system has been operating since 2008, i.e., 16 years
- 350 kilometers: the total length of the control system that runs along the entire length of the IKL crude oil pipeline on both the Czech and German sides
- 65: the number of newly produced switchboards with automated control system components
- 3: the number of newly built centers with modern computer technology for processing operational data and their visualization
- 20+20: the replacement of automated control stations of valve chambers on the crude oil pipeline took place during full operation of IKL at 20 locations in Bavaria and 20 locations in the Czech Republic
- 6 months: the production of switchboards and their subsequent testing took six months and was performed at the production plant in Deggendorf, Germany
- 10 days: it was necessary to interrupt the operation of the IKL crude oil pipeline for ten days in order to replace the automation and computer technology of the control centers in Vohburg and Nelahozeves
- 15 years: estimated lifespan of the new control system
- 265 million Czech Crowns: the cost of replacing the IKL control system, which MERO ČR will pay for from its revenues
The IKL crude oil pipeline
The IKL crude oil pipeline transports crude oil to the Czech Republic via the western route. It begins in the German town of Vohburg an der Donau, where it connects to the European TAL crude oil pipeline, which transports crude oil from the Italian port of Trieste.
- Operation in the Czech Republic began in 1996
- Transport capacity to the Czech Republic is 11 million tons of crude oil per year
- A total of 3.1 million tons of crude oil were supplied to the Czech Republic in 2023 (42% of the total volume)
- The length of the crude oil pipeline is 347 km (German part 178 km, Czech part 169 km)
- It begins in Vohburg an der Donau in Bavaria (Germany), where it connects to the TAL crude oil pipeline from Italy
