Russia stops oil supply via pipeline to Poland

Russia has cut off oil supplies to Poland through the Druzhba pipeline, the general manager of Polish refinery PKN Orlen said on Saturday, adding that the company would use alternative sources to fill the void.The halt in supply through the pipeline, which is not subject to EU sanctions imposed on Russia after its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, came a day after Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine.“We ensure efficient delivery. Russia suspended deliveries to Poland, for which we were ready. Only 10% of crude oil comes from Russia and we will replace it with oil from other sources,” tweeted Daniel Obaitek, CEO of PKN Orlen.The company said it could supply its refineries entirely by sea and that the halt in pipeline deliveries would not affect the supply of gasoline and diesel to customers.Since February, after the contract with Russia’s Rosneft expired, Orlen has been receiving oil from an agreement with the Russian oil and gas company Tatneft.Tatneft and Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft did not respond to a request for comment.The cut in supplies comes after US President Joe Biden traveled to Warsaw and Kiev this week to show support for Ukraine a year after the invasion.On Friday, the European Union agreed on the 10th package of sanctions against Russia.After the invasion of Ukraine and before the EU imposed an embargo on maritime supplies from Russia, Orlen stopped buying Russian oil and fuel from the sea.The company’s supply portfolio now includes oil from West Africa, the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico. The company also has a contract to buy oil from Saudi Aramco starting in 2022.Maritime supplies enter Poland through Nefteport, an oil terminal in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. It can receive 36 million tons of oil per year, which exceeds the volumes that can be processed by Polish refineries. Therefore, it is partly used to supply oil to refineries located in the eastern part of Germany, which are connected to the Druzhba pipeline.”Given the capabilities of Nefteport and the fact that we have other fuel import routes, customers will not feel any change, as Orlen has been preparing for this for several months,” confirmed Mateusz Berger, Commissioner of the Polish Government. strategic energy infrastructure.