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Czech Republic cannot abandon Russian oil yet — trade minister

"Following completion of the TAL+ [oil pipeline] construction and a significant boost in the Transalpine oil pipeline’s (TAL) capacity, it will be possible to sever supplies over the Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia," Josef Sikela noted

PRAGUE, August 28. /TASS/. The Czech Republic cannot currently completely drop supplies of Russian oil, industry and trade minister Josef Sikela said at a meeting with Czech diplomats.

"The immediate transition to exclusively non-Russian [oil] sources is not possible" until construction is finished on the IKL oil pipeline linking the Czech Republic with the TAL oil pipeline in the German city of Ingolstadt, the Czech minister said.

"Following completion of the TAL+ [oil pipeline] construction and a significant boost in the Transalpine oil pipeline’s (TAL) capacity, it will be possible to sever supplies over the Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia," Sikela added.

Construction of the IKL oil pipeline is scheduled to end in 2025. The Czech Republic will start receiving four million metric tons of oil per year more after it goes live.

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