Germany Scrambles for Oil Alternatives as Druzhba Transit Halts

Officials in Berlin announced active efforts to find alternative ways to supply the oil refinery in Schwedt, located in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. They confirmed that they are negotiating with several exporting countries at once.

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Druzhba pipeline

Starting May 1, transit of Kazakh oil through the Druzhba pipeline will stop.

The German Ministry for Economic Affairs stated that the government is working intensively to identify alternative options. Authorities aim to find an optimal solution as quickly as possible and continue talks with multiple countries.

At the same time, the ministry's representative did not provide further details. Demand for oil remains high, and many buyers compete for available supplies beyond the needs of the Schwedt refinery.

The official stressed that Germany's energy security faces no threat. He added that this also applies to jet fuel supplies, a notable remark given the current difficulties with aviation fuel in Europe, according to TASS.

Changes in Transit Routes

Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that from May 1, supplies of Kazakh oil to Germany will bypass the Druzhba pipeline due to technical limitations.

The Kazakh national operator KazTransOil handles oil transit across Russia through the Transneft system. From there, oil flows through Belarus via the Gomeltransneft Druzhba network to the Adamova Zastava delivery point, and from there it has been transported to refineries in Germany.

This transit operates under an intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia dated June 7, 2002. In 2025, Kazakhstan supplied 2.1 million tons of oil to Germany via Druzhba.

Strategic Role of the Schwedt Refinery

The Schwedt refinery was built in the 1960s and remains one of the largest refineries in Germany. It supplies Berlin and the eastern states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as well as western regions of Poland.

The refinery produces a wide range of products, including various grades of gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas.

It also manufactures fuel oil for heating, road bitumen, sulfur, and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes, which are widely used in the chemical industry.

In addition, the plant generates electricity and steam as byproducts.

The facility gained recognition as one of the first in Germany to produce biofuel components. Its output meets modern environmental standards, and its fuels do not contain ethyl additives or sulfur.

Dependence on Kazakh Oil

Kazakh oil does not account for the majority of the refinery's feedstock, but it plays a significant role. Estimates suggest it covers between 17 and 20-30 percent of the plant's needs.

Other supplies arrive through alternative routes, including pipelines from the ports of Rostock and Gdansk.

Thanks in part to Kazakh deliveries, the Schwedt refinery processed around 10 million tons of oil last year, close to its maximum capacity of 11.5 million tons annually.

The plant reached this level for the first time in several years after the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian oil in 2022.

These factors explain why German officials are actively searching for new oil sources to maintain stable operations at the Schwedt refinery.