One of the two lines of the Druzhba, The main pipeline that transports oil from Russia to Germany, was closed after a leak was detected as it passed through central Poland.announced the authorities and operators of the affected countries.
The Economy Minister of the German state of Brandenburg, Jorg Steinbach, indicated that “there was a drop in pressure” in the pipeline and said that the causes of the leak are being investigated.
Since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, energy has been at the center of geopolitical tensions between Russia and the European powers allied with kyiv
Hours earlier, the Polish operator Pern had reported the depressurization in one of the branches of the Druzhba and assured that the supply of oil through the damaged line had been stopped.
“The causes of the incident are not known at this time.. Pumping on the damaged line was immediately stopped. Line 2 of the pipeline is operating normally,” Pern said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.
“This part of the main pipeline carries crude destined for two German refineries: PCK Raffinerie GmbH Schwedt and TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH in Spergau,” Pern spokeswoman Katarzyna Krasinska said.
The leak occurred near the town of Zurawice, 180 kilometers west of Warsaw.
The Druzhba pipeline, whose name means “friendship,” began construction in the 1960s. It has a 5,500-kilometre network that transports oil from the Urals to refineries in Poland and Germany. Another branch of the pipeline carries Russian oil to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The European Union advanced in several packages of sanctions to try to break its energy dependence on Russia, especially gas
Since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, energy is at the center of geopolitical tensions between Russia and kyiv’s allied European powers.
The European Union (EU) advanced in several sanctions packages to try to break its energy dependence on Russia, especially gas, while the Kremlin reacted with cuts in supply and the search for new markets.
It was in this context that at the end of September there were leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which connect Russia with Germany below the Baltic Sea, with cross-accusations of sabotage.
