The first increased shipment of non-Russian oil has successfully arrived from a tank terminal in Trieste, Italy, to the Central Oil Tank Farm in Nelahozeves. From there, it will continue its journey to the Litvínov refinery.

The milestone was announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura, and Jaroslav Pantůček, General Director of MERO ČR—the state-owned company responsible for oil transit infrastructure. "This is another crucial step toward strengthening our energy independence," said Prime Minister Fiala during a press briefing in Nelahozeves.

With the expanded pipeline now operational, the Czech Republic can import up to eight million tons of oil annually via Western routes—enough to fully meet the needs of domestic refineries. “This marks the first live operation using the expanded capacity of the TAL pipeline,” Pantůček noted. “The oil arrived from Trieste yesterday, and this afternoon MERO ČR will begin transporting it to its owner, Orlen Unipetrol, for processing in Litvínov.”

The transition follows a 2022 decision by the Czech government to accelerate the TAL-PLUS project, which enhances the capacity of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) connecting Italian ports to Central Europe.

According to Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura, the government made the decision on the project back in the autumn of 2022. “Thanks to good work, we were able to increase the capacity of the TAL pipeline as early as this January and prepare the Czech Republic for full supply exclusively via the Western route,” the minister stated.

This initiative was launched in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as EU countries sought to reduce energy dependency on Moscow.

Construction and technical upgrades to the TAL pipeline began in May 2024. According to earlier statements from Finance Minister Stanjura, the entire 1.6 billion CZK cost of the project will be financed by MERO ČR from its own funds.

Sources: Praguemorning.cz Idnes.cz