PERN S.A. halted the pumping through a section of the Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia to Europe, after detecting a leak in Central Poland
Polish pipeline operator – PERN S.A. has said that it halted the pumping through a section of the Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia to Europe, after detecting a leak in Central Poland.
The cause of the leak cannot be identified. The leak follows a series of attacks on pipelines carrying Russian oil and gas since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The PERN S.A. hopes the flows will resume by Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
A Statement from PERN read, “PERN services have reached the damaged section of one of the lines of the western section of the Druzhba pipeline in the commune of Chodecz.”
It further read, “It is the main line that transports crude oil from sea deliveries to the west. Repair work on the oil pipeline is currently underway. The expected time for pumping to resume is Tuesday morning.”
PERN S.A. did not specify whether the leak would have any impact on the supply to Germany, but a Spokesperson for the Federal Economy Ministry in Germany said, “We are in contact with the operators of the East German refineries. The security of supply is still fully guaranteed.”
PERN also stated that the second line is operating normally and there is no health threat to local residents, adding that the company was investigating the cause of the leak. It also said that the supply to Polish refineries was not impacted and that it was in contact with German partners receiving oil through the pipeline. Germany stopped buying Russian oil in January 2023, owing to European sanctions on Russian gas arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Other elements of PERN’s infrastructure, including (Druzhba’s) Pomeranian section, which is used to pump crude oil arriving in tankers to Poland and then further to Germany, are operating in standard mode,” added the Statement from PERN S.A.
The Druzhba oil pipeline is one of the world’s largest pipeline and can carry 2 million barrels per day. The total capacity of the western section of both lines that carry oil from central Poland to Germany is 27 million tonnes of crude oil per year.
Flows through the Druzhba pipeline have dropped sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pipeline infrastructure has been hit several times since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Europe has been on high alert over the security of its energy infrastructure since major leaks were found in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines running from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
The leaks were found to have been caused by unexplained explosions which ruptured both pipelines. Russia has blamed Ukraine and the West for the blasts, which occurred as Europe was reducing its reliance on Russian energy in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Western leaders have denied any responsibility for the attacks, calling them an act of sabotage, which they are investigating.
