Gas employers want to bet on renewable gases to meet decarbonization targets

Its deployment will complete the future energy links with Europe that must be seen. as something strategicAs Sedigas president Joan Batalla explained in the framework of the association’s annual meeting, “thinking in the medium and long term”, not on the region’s roadmap.

“It’s all connected requires an execution time, Batalla says it takes two or three years, not months, to guarantee the strengthening of the domestic gas market.

In this sense, the head of Sedigas emphasized Benefits of promoting the use of these gases to achieve the objectives of the European strategyAnd the thing is, they already have an existing infrastructure, as opposed to the interconnections with the Old Continent that will still be designed, approved and built.

In fact, “a third of gas demand could be decarbonized tomorrow” with biomethane without interfering with infrastructures Or that it was compatible with the boiler of our homes, clarified the War.

Spain face off for Sedigas an “opportunity” to create economic prosperity by having the necessary conditions To be the operation center or “hub” in Europe for renewable gases.

Recoup real costs of electricity generation

The Sedigas president started his opening speech with a speech. Reference to the current “context of great volatility affecting all economies and putting the economic recovery after the health crisis at risk” your coronavirus.

At a press conference minutes ago, Batalla admitted that although this scenario was “aggravated” by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the “uncertainty and volatility” in the energy markets came from afar and felt like a “first” last year. symptoms”.

According to the estimates, the price of natural gas will be around “70-71 euro/megawatt hour (MWh)”, although more stable, it will continue to be “above 2020 levels or the beginning of 2021” when marked 24 euro/MWh.

To deal with this, both short-term and structural actions are “timely”, “not only to ensure supply security, but also to reduce price volatility” Battle pointed in favor of promoting natural gas’s long-term contract.

Regarding the upper limit on gas electricity generation in Spain and Portugal, He asked the president of the association to be “prudent”, without waiting for the final decision of the European Commission.

Yet he statedthe need for any mechanism to recognize the true costs of electricity generation from natural gas”.

“This isn’t about a subsidy or aid, it’s about compensating c.Real costs when we don’t have our own natural gas sources in Spain Batalla, who regrets that they did not imitate Europe with tax cuts “on time”, said, “We have to import it.”

Algeria, key partner

The data processed by Sedigas shows that Total gas demand in Spain reached 378 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2021, up 5% more than the previous year.when records are marked with a halt as a result of the pandemic.

Compared to a longer period, The figure is 9.2% higher than the average for the last decade and the second highest in 2011.due to increased economic activity and lower temperatures, among other reasons.

Considering the origin of the import42.7% of this raw material Algeria14.4% of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 11.4% Nigeria and 8.7% Russia, A percentage “well below other economies that are dependent or sole dependent on Russian gas,” Battle said.

When asked by journalists, the head of Sedigas referred to Algeria as a “reliable energy partner”, and this “doesn’t take away” from the fact that the US is increasing exports to the continent, in keeping with its desire to diversify imports. to Europe and especially to Spain.

“Bottleneck” from the war

All the speakers agreed on this. The Spanish gas system is “robust” and “ensures supply to all consumers”, As emphasized by Sara Aagesen, Secretary of State for Energy.

According to the latest data that Sedigas consulted, the average gas storage level is 66%, “Above the community average” and at similar levels to previous years, despite the war, Battle became clear.

What motivates armed conflict, trend change in interconnections, having traditionally had a majority north-south flow from France to Spain and has been operating in the opposite direction at full capacity since the beginning of the occupation.

This fact clearly reveals the “bottleneck” that exists for Turkey. To send gas Europe in the last few weeks.According to Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, CEO of Enagás, Spain exports more gas to the country of Gaul than it imports through the gas pipeline from Algeria.