Germany does not plan to buy Russian oil in 2023, the press service of the country’s Economy Ministry told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. The statement refutes an earlier announcement from Transneft, a Russian state-owned pipeline transport company and the operator of Russia's section of the Druzhba pipeline.
On Monday, Transneft head Nikolai Tokarev said his company had received requests to pump oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Poland and Germany in 2023, despite earlier assurances form both countries that they would not place new orders.
The German ministry stated that starting in January the Schwedt refinery had booked capacity in the pipeline system for Kazakh, not Russian, oil.
“The refineries in Leuna and Schwedt will no longer order Russian oil in the new year,” the statement from the ministry’s press service said.
“Thus, it is not a request for oil, but a reservation for the transportation of oil, which is necessary, for example, to pass the Kazakh oil,” the ministry representative told RIA.
Early on Wednesday, Kazakhstan’s state energy company KazMunaiGas (KMG) said it was considering the possibility of a trial shipment of oil to the refinery in Schwedt. According to a statement on the company’s website, such a prospect has been discussed by KGM chairman Magzum Mirzagaliev, parliamentary secretary of the German Ministry of Economy Michael Kollner, and Bundestag member Christian Gerke.
“The Bundestag deputy expressed his interest in stable supplies of raw materials from Kazakhstan via the Druzhba pipeline. The head of KMG confirmed the possibility of Kazakh oil exports to Germany via the pipeline, but noted the need to resolve contractual and technical issues,” the statement said.
In response to this statement, Transneft spokesman Igor Demin said that Kazakhstan had not discussed with the operator oil shipments to Germany, and added that the “volumes that used to flow from Russia to Germany cannot be replaced by Kazakhstan.” He explained that while Russia used to ship up to 20 million tons of oil a year to Germany and another 10 million tons to Poland via Druzhba, Kazakhstan is only able to pump 3-7 million tons.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section