The Czech Republic has ended its reliance on Russian oil and gas, turning instead to Norway and other global suppliers.
Over the last three years, Norway has become the primary source of natural gas for the country and, more recently, has overtaken Russia in oil supplies.
According to the Czech Statistical Office, Norway is now the second-largest oil supplier to Czech refineries after Azerbaijan.
Russian oil imports stopped entirely in March, following stricter EU sanctions that blocked Orlen Unipetrol, the owner of Czech refineries, from making payments to Russian suppliers.
While the smaller refinery in Kralupy nad Vltavou continues to process lighter crude from the Caspian region, the larger Litvínov refinery switched to a combination of Norwegian and Saudi Arabian oil.
In July, Czechia imported 606,000 tons of oil, with Azerbaijan providing 250,000 tons and Norway supplying 220,000 tons. Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia accounted for the remainder.
Norwegian imports have steadily increased since April, when Orlen Unipetrol received its first shipment of Norwegian oil via the Trieste, Italy pipeline.
The shift to Norway is supported by the Polish parent company, Orlen, which has developed its own production in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea while also purchasing from other regional producers.
In August, Orlen signed a contract with Equinor for over six million tons of oil per year. “Supplies from the Johan Sverdrup field will be delivered to refineries in Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic,” the company said in a press release.
Orlen also maintains long-term cooperation with Saudi Arabia. A 2022 agreement with Saudi Aramco covers approximately 45 percent of total oil consumption, and Saudi Aramco holds a 30 percent stake in the Gdańsk refinery. Orlen’s parent company supplies crude to its subsidiaries in the Czech Republic and Lithuania, explaining why Orlen Unipetrol rarely comments on the origin of imported oil.
Norway’s role in natural gas is even more pronounced. In the first seven months of 2025, Czechia imported gas worth 50.7 billion CZK, with Norway accounting for nearly 71 percent.
The remaining 29 percent were purchased from the broader European market. This marks a stark shift from 2024, when Russian gas—mostly delivered via Slovakia and Hungary—accounted for 32 percent of imports.
The change accelerated at the start of 2025, when Ukraine declined to extend the five-year Russian gas transit contract. Czech energy suppliers turned to the German gas network, and in some months, westbound gas transit through Czech territory to Slovakia resumed. Hungary is also expected to import some gas through this route.
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