Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced that the delivery schedule for May along the route through Russia to Germany shows zero volumes of oil transit. This concerns supplies via the Druzhba oil pipeline system.
WHAT THE MINISTER SAID
According to Ulysmedia.kz, Yerlan Akkenzhenov stated that the previously reported information about the suspension of transit is confirmed at the level of delivery schedules.
"There have been no official statements from the Russian side yet, but from unofficial sources we know it is true. For May, transit through the Atyrau-Samara pipeline towards the Druzhba oil pipeline and then on to the Schwedt refinery is zero," said Yerlan Akkenzhenov.
WHAT CAUSED IT
According to preliminary information, the Russian side explains the cessation of transit by a lack of technical capability. The exact reasons have not been given at this time.
Akkenzhenov suggested that the restrictions could be related to the need for infrastructure repairs following recent strikes on Russian facilities. He stressed, however, that this is merely his assumption.
FOR WHAT PERIOD IS THE RESTRICTION IMPOSED
The head of the Ministry of Energy noted that the confirmed restriction applies to May. According to him, the Russian side has also set zero transit figures for the following three months.
At the same time, the minister stated that supplies could resume as soon as the technical restrictions are lifted.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT KAZAKHSTAN AND GERMANY
According to Akkenzhenov, oil exports from Kazakhstan via other routes, including the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), will continue as normal. The minister noted that with a total export volume of about 80 million tonnes, it was planned to pump about 3 million tonnes through the Druzhba route this year. This is approximately 3.75% of total exports.
Meanwhile, according to the head of the Ministry of Energy, Kazakh oil covers about 20–30% of the refinery's needs in the city of Schwedt. This means the consequences of the route's suspension could be more significant for the German plant than for Kazakhstan.
CONTEXT
Earlier, it became known that from 1 May, the transit of Kazakh oil to Germany via the northern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline through Russian territory would be halted. This was reported by the Reuters agency, citing industry sources.
It was noted at the time that the Kazakh side had received notification of an adjustment to the export schedule.