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Polish Energy Ministry confirms suspending oil supplies via Belarusian border

According to the ministry, the country has sufficient oil reserves

WARSAW, April 25. /TASS/. The energy ministry of Poland confirmed in a statement it had suspended accepting Russian oil via the Adamovo hub on the border with Belarus.

According to the ministry, the country has sufficient oil reserves that would "ensure the continuity of oil processing and fuel supplies to the Polish market."

"In case of a long suspension of oil supplies to Polish refineries, the fuel will be imported via an alternative route, through Gdansk," the statement reads.

PKN Orlen, a major Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer, said the move will not affect the domestic fuel production.

"The situation does not affect the oil refining at the Plock refinery. <…> Orlen is ready to carry out alternative oil supplies," the company said, adding that half of its oil comes from Norway, Angola, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. "Besides, Orlen’s crude reserves are sufficient to continue the production. In this regard, the risk of limiting production due to the disruption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline is currently non-existent."

On Friday, April 19, Belarus announced a sharp deterioration in the quality of oil coming from Russia through the trunk oil pipeline Druzhba. The company informed operators of the Druzhba pipeline from other countries about the issue. The source of pollution was found on the Samara-Unecha section of Druzhba.

Earlier in the day, Belarusian pipeline operator Gomeltransneft Druzhba’s chief engineer Andrey Verigo told BelTA that Polish pipeline operator PERN "stopped the transportation of oil to Poland in the Adamovo hub for an indefinite period" because it was receiving poor-quality oil that could not be received and processed by refineries in Poland and Germany.

Gomeltransneft Druzhba notified its Russian partners of stopping the west-bound oil transit.