No Russian oil has flowed to Germany since January. Deliveries from Kazakhstan are to fill the gaps in PCK Schwedt. However, not all details have been discussed yet.
After the waiver of Russian oil, negotiations continue about the supply of crude oil from Kazakhstan for the PCK refinery in Brandenburg. This was confirmed by a spokesman for PCK co-shareholders Rosneft Germany. The talks went “satisfactorily” and gave reason for optimism. However, details, such as the transmission, would still have to be discussed.
Following a decision by the federal government, no Russian oil has flowed through the Druzhba pipeline to the PCK refinery in Schwedt since January. Alternatively, deliveries can be made via the ports of Rostock and Gdansk. According to PCK, the refinery is currently operating at around 60 percent capacity. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the capacity can increase to around 70 percent in January and February thanks to an admixture and quantities from Poland and Kazakhstan. According to PCK, nine out of ten cars in Berlin and Brandenburg run on fuel from Schwedt.
Rosneft Germany relies on oil from Kazakhstan. “We think potentially that Kazakhstan is a good solution because you can ensure that PCK can continue to be supplied with a lot of crude oil,” the spokesman said. If PCK is to be managed properly – even beyond the expected 70 percent – all three options for the oil are necessary.
According to the government, Kazakhstan has received permission from Russia to use the Russian pipeline infrastructure to export oil to Germany. Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke had criticized that the federal government’s promised utilization of 70 percent of the refinery had not yet been identified. The SPD politician is asking for information on this at a special meeting of a working group on February 20. The Green Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Michael Kellner, had rejected the criticism and explained in a letter to Woidke that the refinery had oil available for a capacity utilization of around 70 percent in January.
Rosneft Germany and the associated RN Refining
