PRAGUE — The government of the Czech Republic announced on Tuesday that it has successfully enhanced its energy security by reducing reliance on oil imports from Russia. Traditionally, the nation sourced about 50% of its oil, approximately 4 million metric tons, through the Druzhba pipeline originating from Russia.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated that with the completion of recent projects, the Czech Republic no longer needs to depend on these imports, declaring that the nation is “capable of securing all its oil supplies from Western sources.”

To facilitate this transition, the Czech government has allocated over 1.5 billion Czech koruna (which is approximately $61 million) to expand the capacity of the TAL pipeline, which has now been increased to handle 8 million metric tons of oil annually. A segment of this pipeline extends into Germany as IKL, ultimately serving the Czech Republic and meeting its total oil needs.

Additionally, Finance Minister Zbyn?k Stanjura confirmed that the local Orlen Unipetrol refinery intends to cease importing Russian oil entirely, effective in the latter half of this year.

Currently, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary remain the last European Union countries to still receive oil from Russia. In contrast, the other 24 EU member states have halted Russian oil purchases due to sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Earlier this year, the Czech Republic also terminated its imports of Russian gas, further solidifying its efforts to enhance energy independence.