Druzhba pipeline leak reduces Russian oil flows to Germany - Reuters

WARSAW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Germany said connected Wednesday it was receiving little lipid but inactive had capable supplies, aft Poland recovered a leak successful the Druzhba pipeline that delivers crude from Russia to Europe that Warsaw said was astir apt caused by an mishap alternatively than sabotage.

The find of the leak successful the main way carrying lipid to Germany, which relation PERN said it recovered connected Tuesday evening, comes arsenic Europe is connected precocious alert implicit its vigor information arsenic it faces a terrible situation successful the aftermath of Moscow's penetration of Ukraine which has chopped supplies of gas.

"Security of proviso successful Germany is presently guaranteed," an system ministry spokesperson said successful an emailed statement. "The refineries successful Schwedt and Leuna proceed to person crude lipid via the Druzhba pipeline."

The Schwedt refinery, which supplies 90% of Berlin's fuel, said successful an emailed connection that deliveries were taking spot astatine reduced capacity.

Germany said it was hoping for much accusation soon from Poland astir the origin of the leak and however it tin beryllium repaired.

Europe has been connected precocious alert implicit the information of its vigor infrastructure since large leaks were recovered past period successful the Nord Stream 1 and 2 state pipelines moving from Russia to Europe nether the Baltic Sea. Both the West and Russia person blamed sabotage.

However, Poland's apical authoritative successful complaint of vigor infrastructure, Mateusz Berger, told Reuters by telephone that the leak successful the Druzhba pipeline was astir apt caused by "accidental damage".

"We are surviving successful turbulent times, antithetic connotations are possible, but astatine this signifier we person nary grounds astatine each to judge that," helium said, erstwhile asked astir the anticipation of sabotage.

Berger said the leak was located 70 km (44 miles) westbound from Plock, wherever Poland's biggest refinery owned by PKN Orlen is located. As a result, portion of the shipping capableness towards Germany was not available, helium said, adding that repairs would apt "not instrumentality long".

PERN said supplies to Germany were reduced but continuing.

GERMAN, POLAND REFINERY SUPPLIES

The Druzhba lipid pipeline, whose sanction means "friendship" successful Russian, is 1 of the world's largest, supplying Russian lipid to overmuch of cardinal Europe including Germany, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria.

Russia's Transneft state-owned pipeline monopoly said that lipid continues to beryllium pumped towards Poland.

Poland's PKN Orlen (PKN.WA) said that lipid supplies to its Plock refinery were not interrupted portion Czech pipeline relation MERO said it had not seen immoderate alteration successful flows to the Czech Republic.

"The main enactment (we are taking) is to pump retired the liquid and find the leak and halt it," occurrence brigade spokesperson Karol Kierzkowski told authorities broadcaster TVP Info.

"When the unit decreases, the leak volition halt and let america to scope the leak," helium said, adding that it was excessively aboriginal to found the origin and determination was nary information to the public.

Firefighters successful the mid-northern Kujawsko-Pomorskie portion of Poland said they had pumped astir 400 cubic metres of lipid and h2o from the tract of the leak which was successful the mediate of a maize field.

The 2nd enactment of the pipeline, and different elements of PERN's infrastructure, were moving arsenic normal, PERN said.

"At this point, each PERN services (technical, operational, in-house occurrence brigade and biology protection) are taking enactment successful accordance with the algorithms provided for this benignant of situation," the relation said.

The full capableness of the occidental conception of the pipeline that ships lipid from cardinal Poland to Germany is 27 cardinal tonnes of crude lipid per year.

Germany's Schwedt refinery is peculiarly babelike connected Druzhba.

The German authorities aims to destruct imports of lipid from Russia by the extremity of the twelvemonth nether European Union sanctions. But successful the archetypal 7 months of the year, Russia was inactive its apical supplier, accounting for conscionable implicit 30% of lipid imports.

As Germany looks for alternate supplies for Schwedt, Druzhba could beryllium instrumental successful supplying lipid via the Polish larboard successful Gdansk.

The German authorities has besides been successful talks to unafraid lipid from Kazakhstan to proviso Schwedt, but that lipid would person to travel to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline too.

Reporting by Reuters bureaus penning by Alan Charlish and Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Jan Harvey and Elaine Hardcastle

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