Berlin is considering alternative scenarios, given the suspension of Kazakh oil transit to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, said German Ambassador to Kazakhstan Monika Iversen.
„Of course, we would be glad if oil supplies from Kazakhstan to Schwedt continued. But this depends not only on us and not only on Kazakhstan. We are currently analyzing all possible options and alternatives“, the diplomat said in an interview with Ulysmedia.kz.
„Germany's energy supply is not threatened. We are considering alternative scenarios“, the ambassador said.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that supplies of Kazakh oil to Germany will bypass the Druzhba pipeline due to technical limitations. Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry announced that in May 260,000 tons of oil supplies will be redirected through the Russian port of Ust-Luga, as well as through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Erlan Akenzhenov told reporters that oil supplies from the republic account for 20-30% of consumption at the Schwedt refinery in Germany. In May, it was announced that the German government had extended employment guarantees by six months from July for workers at the PCK refinery in Schwedt (Brandenburg), which receives oil from Kazakhstan until May 1.