Croatia refutes claims that it could not supply Hungary with oil

Last week, Mol and Janaf conducted joint tests on the Adria oil pipeline on several occasions, but according to Mol's latest announcement,

the latest results do not yet confirm that the pipeline would be capable of transporting sufficient quantities of oil from the Adriatic Sea to Hungary and Slovakia in the long term.

During testing, the cable was unable to operate at the required capacity for more than 1-2 hours at a time, according to Mol.

However, the Croatian minister's interview with CNN on September 15 directly contradicts these statements.

Croatia can guarantee today both to Hungary and to Slovakia that it can supply them with more than 12 million tonnes of oil, any blend needed, in order to cater for all the needs for the Százhalombatta refinery, which is in Hungary, and the Bratislava refinery in Slovakia,

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said. He added: “We believe that there is no risk for the supply of oil to two of our neighbouring countries, which we would like to help when it comes to energy security."

BIRN then asked JANAF whether it really had the necessary technical capacity to serve Hungary and Slovakia. The company stated categorically that

JANAF was fully prepared, both technically and organizationally, to meet the annual crude oil needs of MOL's Central European refineries,

and that it had given guarantees to this effect to Mol, the Republic of Croatia, and the European Union.

„The tests carried out on the flow of the oil pipeline from Omišalj to the Hungarian border, with a 95 per cent pipeline utilisation and the ability of MOL Group to take over crude oil at the delivery point, guarantee the transport of 12.9 million tonnes per year,” the company said, adding that Mol is a long-standing partner of JANAF.

Update: Janaf issues statement of its own

In the evening hours of 24 September, Janaf also issued an official statement.  

JANAF Plc rejects allegations made by MOL Group about the supposed technical omissions on our part during the testing of the pipeline capacity at the section from Sisak Terminal to the Hungarian border, carried out in September 2025. JANAF particularly rejects allegations according to which the company would be unable to meet MOL Group's two Central European refineries' annual needs for crude oil.

According to the company, the first joint test took place on September 11–12, 2025, without the use of DRA polymers, with two pumps in Sisak and three on the Hungarian side in Csurgó. The average delivery capacity was 1,950 m³/hour, which corresponds to 13.8 million tons per year.

The second joint test was conducted on September 17–18, this time using DRA polymers, which facilitate the flow of oil. Once again, two pumps were operating in Sisak and three in Csurgó. The average output at that time was 2,200 m³/hour, which would enable the transport of 15.5 million tons annually.

The third test took place between September 22 and 24. Originally, a flow rate of 2,200 m³/hour was planned, but at the request of the Mol Group, it had to be reduced to 1,600 m³/hour, so transport was carried out with one pump each in Sisak and Csurgó. Janaf emphasizes again that

the only reason for the decreased flow was the direct demand by MOL Group and there were no obstacles on JANAF's part to achieving the planned flow. Therefore, the third September testing was considered inaccurate because MOL had failed to create conditions for maximum flow.

Therefore, according to Janaf, the third test in September cannot be considered accurate, as Mol did not ensure the conditions for maximum flow. It was reiterated that Janaf has all the technical, organizational, and other conditions necessary to fully meet the annual crude oil demand of Mol's refineries in Hungary and Slovakia.

"Although we achieved a capacity of 2,200 m³/hour during testing, the hydraulic study recommends a value of 2,100 m³/hour for safe operation," they highlight. This represents approximately 14.5 million tons per year, taking into account the density of Azeri Light crude oil (0.83), 95% pipeline utilization, and the Mol Group's receiving capacity at the designated transfer point.

JANAF understands its partners' need to always have access to several supply routes, both for safety or other reasons; however, we firmly maintain that manipulations and obstructions do not belong in a partnership,

they conclude.

Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Portfolio