Czechs complete pipeline to replace Russian oil supply

The Czech prime minister said Tuesday his country no longer needed to import Russian oil, following the completion of an expansion of the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) from Italy.

The contract to expand the pipeline was signed in May 2023, more than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to sanctions on Russian energy imports.

“The construction of this expansion has now been completed,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters.