According to the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, Michael Kellner (Greens), there will be no exemption from the oil embargo for the PCK oil refinery in Schwedt/Oder. In the rbb24 info radio he ruled this out on Thursday.
“It is a clear decision by the Chancellor and the Federal Government to say together: We will also refrain from Russian crude oil through the pipeline,” said Kellner. The Chancellor made this statement in the minutes in Brussels. “It’s really not up to me to correct the chancellor – on the contrary.”
The mayor of Schwedt, Annekatrin Hoppe (SPD), had called for an exemption for Schwedt in the event of an oil embargo. She insists that the Schwedt refinery PCK should continue to process Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline. If the federal government cares about the region and the secure supply, “2030 would be a sensible target”.
Kellner heads a working group from the federal and state governments that is dealing with the future of the Schwedt refinery site. The federal government is targeting alternative oil supplies via Rostock and Gdansk, but this would not compensate for the refinery’s full output.
At the moment, talks are being held with Poland about how Schwedt can also be supplied with oil via the port in Gdansk, said Kellner. “We will do everything to ensure security of supply for the entire East,” he assured.
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The Secretary of State for Economic Affairs was confident that a “green refinery” could be developed in Schwedt. The city is in a “great starting position.” There is a lot of green electricity, there is a lot of space and a population that wants industrial settlements, says Kellner. In addition, highly competent staff are on site.
