Czechs to start oil imports through upgraded TAL pipeline in April

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic will increase shipments of crude via the expanded TAL pipeline from Italy in April, Czech pipeline operator MERO said on Thursday, replacing imports of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline which were suspended this month.

At the end of last year MERO completed an upgrade of TAL, which carries oil from tankers in the Italian port of Trieste to Germany where it feeds into the IKL pipeline to the Czech Republic. The expansion raises capacity available to the Czech Republic, giving the country full independence from supplies from Russia.

Flows through Druzhba were to continue until June but have been halted since early March due to what sources said were payment issues related to sanctions on Russia.

"Czechia will for the first time use the TAL-PLUS project," state-owned MERO said in a statement. "Oil shipments through the western route are increasing and thus will replace the interrupted supplies of Russian crude."

Czech refiner Orlen Unipetrol had been sourcing around half of its crude needs from Russia and the other half through TAL. It has been tapping oil from state reserves to keep up production after the halt in supplies through Druzhba but is preparing to switch to full supplies through TAL following the capacity increase.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Susan Fenton)