Tampere's electric utility Tampereen Sähkölaitos has ordered large quantities of oil from Teboil, a subsidiary of Russian-owned Lukoil, tabloid Iltalehti (IL) reported on Thursday.

Tampereen Sähkölaitos CEO Jussi Laitinen confirmed that IL's report was accurate. He said that while much of the oil for the power plants comes from different suppliers, oil sourced from Teboil accounts for roughly a third of all orders.

Laitinen said the electricity provider has been informed that the money from the oil purchased lines Russia's war coffers. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, some Finnish companies have restricted business with Russian firms while others have pulled out of the Russian market altogether.

"The bills showed that we are not increasing Russia's war chest by hundreds of thousands of euros. Our main priority is to keep Tampere warm next winter and that's why we decided to use our long-term suppliers," Laitinen told Yle.

Laitinen added that now that the matter is public, the orders from Teboil will be re-examined to see if the contracts and shipments can be suspended. If possible, another new supplier will be sought.

Iltalehti: Logos concealed

According to Iltalehti, Teboil's oil transport trucks have been delivering oil to Tampereen Sähkölaitos with tape concealing the Teboil logos. Laitinen denied that the utility company at any point demanded the cars be taped. Based on his understanding, transport companies have taped and concealed logos on their own accord.

"I have personally seen white taped tank trucks on the road. And I suspect that they are probably former Teboil trucks," Laitinen clarified.

An extraordinary amount of oil is now being ordered for Tampereen Sähkölaitos Naistenlahti power plant. This is being done as preparation, due to the likelihood that gas will not be available next winter and alternatives need to be found. Oil is procured for about 15 percent of all the energy needed by the Naistenlahti power plant. Oil can also be transferred to heating centres if they experience shortages.

"A lot of oil is now being purchased. For this reason, we now need all possible suppliers who know how to use our equipment," Laitinen added.

The Naistenlahti power plant is currently a construction site. According to Laitinen, there is only a small window for when the tanks can be filled.