Potential solutions to the damaged Druzhba Pipeline are emerging. Czechia has offered to reverse the pipeline to supply Slovakia. Karel Havlíček, Czech Minister of Industry, noted:
“We offered Slovakia the possibility of using the reverse flow of the Druzhba. In
other words, we are ready to start investing in technical measures so that oil
can be supplied from the Czech Republic to Slovakia.”
Initial investments are
estimated at about $47 million, and the volume delivered could be tens of
thousands monthly (50,000 tons monthly = 600,000 tons annually) and, within two
to three years, be bumped up to 2-3 million tons annually. Czechia had been
interested in the idea before the Druzhba Pipeline was bombed and damaged by
Russia on January 27. Czechia ended its reliance on Russian
oil via Druzhba in 2025 after expanding the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) from
Italy to Germany.
Hungary and Slovakia plan to
build a 127-kilometer product pipeline by mid-2027 linking the Bratislava
refinery (Slovakia) and Százhalombatta refinery (Hungary), both owned by
Hungarian company MOL, to transport up to 1.5 million tons of diesel and
gasoline annually. This should ensure more reliability and system resilience,
as well as increase the immediate availability of supply. It is expected to be
completed in the first half of 2027. It is expected to supply up to one-third
of Hungary’s diesel fuel. The pipeline is also expected to have environmental
and logistical benefits since it will replace oil product transport via rail
and the Danube River. There is already a crude oil pipeline connecting the two
refineries. Now the finished products can be transported via pipeline as well,
which means less river and rail traffic, less pollution, less carbon emissions,
and cheaper transport costs.
Slovakia’s Energy Ministry said the supply disruptions had
“highlighted the vulnerability of energy infrastructure and the need to
diversify supply routes and sources.”
“The new pipeline should therefore improve supply
flexibility and enable more efficient fuel transfers between refineries in both
countries,” it said.
After the pipeline was bombed
near Lviv, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of not wanting to
repair the pipeline, and indeed Ukraine said it is both dangerous for
technicians, potentially costly, will take time, and reminded that the pipeline
feeds profit for its invading enemy. After the EU agreed to help fund the
repairs. Ukraine previously offered to sell Ukrainian oil, putting it in the
pipeline further downstream as a temporary measure. Ukraine says the
pipeline will be fixed within six weeks.
Slovakia suspended emergency
electricity supplies to Ukraine, and Hungary has blocked a €90 billion ($103
billion) EU loan to Ukraine in retaliation for perceived political stonewalling
on the repairs.
References:
Czechia
offers to reverse Druzhba oil pipeline for Slovakia. Богуслав Романенко. New
Voice of Ukraine. March 19, 2026. Czechia
offers to reverse Druzhba oil pipeline for Slovakia
Hungary
and Slovakia strike a new fuel pipeline deal to steady regional supplies. Justin
Spike. AP. March 19, 2026. Hungary
and Slovakia agree to build fuel pipeline | AP News
New
fuel pipeline to connect Hungarian and Slovak MOL-refineries. Bálint Szalai. CE
Energy News. March 16, 2026. New
fuel pipeline to connect Hungarian and Slovak MOL-refineries
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