MERO acquired interest in the 465km long TAL pipeline to ensure energy security for the country and to have an alternate option for oil supplies.
Transalpine Pipeline transports oil from the marine terminal in Italian city and seaport Trieste, through Alps to processing plants in Austria and Germany.
The pipeline is then linked to MERO’s Ingolstadt-Kralupy-Litvinov pipeline (IKL pipeline) in German town Vohburg, in the state of Bavaria to the Central oil tank farm in Nelahozeves, Czechoslovakia.
During the reduced oil supply volumes through the Druzhba Pipeline, the TAL and IKL interconnection pipeline is used to maintain the supplies to the countries refineries.
Czechoslovakia Industry and Trade Minister Martin Kuba said the country is working towards ensuring energy independence.
"One of the key axes is a secure supply and storage of oil. In this respect I highly appreciate the fact that through this acquisition the Czech Republic further cemented its diversified oil supply routes via Druzhba pipeline and via the IKL pipeline connected to the Transalpine pipeline TAL," Kuba added.
TAL pipeline is a joint venture project between OMV, Exxon Mobile, Ruhr Ol, ENI, BP, Conoco Philips, Petroplus, Total, and Shell which holds the majority interest.
