No Russian oil has been delivered via the Druzhba pipeline to the PCK refinery in Germany in more than two years because of sanctions levied against Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But with the plant in the town of Schwedt on the border with Poland struggling to adapt to processing other raw materials, calls are growing louder for a return to the good old days.<\/p>\n
“Many people, especially in Schwedt, see it as conceivable and desirable that oil could once again flow via the pipeline,” the leader of the city council, Hans-Joachim Hoeppner, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Having to accommodate different types of oil at the plant, which employs some 1,200 people, has made production less “effective”, said Hoeppner from the centre-right CDU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The idea of reopening the door to the European market for Russia has up until now been firmly dismissed by officials in Berlin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the thaw in US relations with the Kremlin instigated by President Donald Trump since his return to office has raised hopes of a possible agreement on a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.<\/p>\n
“If changes are happening in the relationship with Russia… then I think it is very possible that there is Russian oil,” said Hoeppner.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
German sanctions on Russian oil brought a halt to deliveries of crude via the Druzhba pipeline — Russian for “friendship” — at the start of 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– ‘In the red’ –<\/p>\n
Since then, the refinery in Schwedt has been drawing substitute supplies via a pipeline to Rostock, as well as small volumes through the Polish port of Gdansk and from Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n
The changes have left the plant operating at around 80 percent capacity and firmly “in the red”, said Danny Ruthenburg, head of the works council.<\/p>\n
A “solution” is urgently needed to keep the refinery running and save jobs locally, said Ruthenburg — whether that means more oil from Rostock or via the Druzhba pipeline after an end to the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Dietmar Woidke, the Social Democrat leader of Brandenburg\u00a0state, last month signalled that he may be open to the return of Russian oil.<\/p>\n
“I would be pleased if we could return to normal economic relations with Russia,” said Woidke, describing the refinery as a “hugely important” player in the region’s economy.<\/p>\n
Others have been more explicit in their demands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Lift the sanctions, because they only hurt us more than the Russians,” said Peggy Lindemann, a member of the works council and city councillor for the far-right Alternative for Germany.<\/p>\n
When Russian oil was withdrawn from Schwedt, the government promised to prepare a switch to the production of hydrogen — but the plans have stalled, leaving the plant in limbo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– Trusteeship –<\/p>\n
The situation is also complicated by the fact that the PCK refinery is majority-owned by Rosneft Deutschland, a local subsidiary of the Russian oil giant, and managed through a trusteeship by the German government.<\/p>\n
Berlin’s control over the Russian asset, justified as a measure to protect critical infrastructure, was prolonged in March with a renewed promise that Rosneft would sell its interest.<\/p>\n
But finding a buyer will likely be challenging as long as the business still has to contend with oil sanctions.<\/p>\n
Talks have recently been reported on the possible revival of another seemingly stranded Russian fossil fuel project, the Nord Stream gas pipeline network.<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in March that discussions had taken place between US and Russian officials on reviving the pipelines — even if it seems highly unlikely that Berlin would give the green light to such a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Schwedt plant has also been mentioned in US-Russia talks,\u00a0according to a report by the German investigative website Correctiv.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“In principle it would be a solution… it would create security,” said Hoeppner. “I don’t have anything against it.”<\/p>\n
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