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Germany vows to secure new oil supplies amid Russian crude disruption

Russia's latest energy move puts Germany's refineries at riskā€”but Berlin refuses to panic. Can new supply chains break Moscow's grip on Europe's fuel?

,   and  Administrator
2 min read
The image shows a poster with a map of the world, depicting the proposed oil and gas pipelines. The...
The image shows a poster with a map of the world, depicting the proposed oil and gas pipelines. The map is detailed, showing the various countries and their respective pipelines, as well as the major cities and bodies of water. The text on the poster provides additional information about the pipelines, such as their purpose and how they are proposed.

Germany vows to secure new oil supplies amid Russian crude disruption

German Economy Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU) has vowed to secure new oil supplies and bolster the resilience of fossil fuel infrastructureā€”such as refineries and pipelinesā€”in response to the energy crisis. "Now we must work to leverage every possible option for diversifying our crude oil sources," Reiche told Welt am Sonntag.

"We need to strengthen the resilience of our refineries, supply chains, and infrastructure," she added. Germany's energy mix still relies on oil and gas for roughly 60 percent of its needs, with the chemical industry and fertilizer producers also dependent on oil. "Refineries are of extraordinary importance to Germany as an industrial hub," the minister emphasized.

Reiche downplayed the impact of Russia's announced halt to Kazakh crude oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline to the PCK refinery in Schwedt, calling it manageable. "If these volumes are cut off, PCK's production would see a slight reduction, but we are not left empty-handed," she assured. The refinery is majority-owned by Russian state giant Rosneft but remains under the trusteeship of Germany's Federal Network Agency. "This is not the first time Russia has weaponized energy," Reiche noted, pointing to similar tactics seen in gas supplies. "We've already taken steps to counter this, and we're now working to secure the refinery's raw material supply, including discussions with Poland and Kazakhstan."

The minister ruled out nationalizing Rosneft's assets. "Germany's refineries are privately owned," she argued. "If the state singled out individual companies, it would send a message to private operators: you're not safe here. That would harm our economic competitiveness."

Reiche also reiterated her opposition to a so-called windfall tax, as proposed by coalition partner the SPD. "I fundamentally oppose a windfall tax because it would penalize any company that succeeds and generates profits," she said. "Vilifying profits undermines the core driver of our social market economy." She warned that such a tax could lead to gasoline being exported rather than kept domesticā€”"the exact opposite of what we need."

The minister stressed that safeguarding energy security and economic stability must remain the top priority.

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