Spain urges France to make a proposal on MidCat

Emmanuel Macron proposed it on the occasion of a historic bilateral meeting, just hours after Spain and Germany, during the European Union leaders’ summit in Prague earlier this month. intensify the pressure to authorize this infrastructurerequest in writing that it be ready before 2025 and ask for negotiations to be opened between all parties involved, including the European Commission.

The President proposed a meeting with Sánchez and Costa in Paris, in which the Energy Ministers would also attend. But what happened in this forum is still a mystery to the Spanish Government, as Administrative sources confirm it. Macron did not send them “any offers”. No preparatory work has been done before and there is no information about the intentions of the French leader.

Despite this, other government sources emphasize that Spain demanded and “reacted” a response from France, with the invaluable assistance of Portugal and Germany. A “positive attitude” is recognized in this. What will happen now “to go as far as possible” despite uncertainty Producing the absence of a proposal from Macron in the government. And “convince” the French that this is a “good project for Europe and France”.

Nothing to help Spain

In management, they believe the meeting will at least serve the following. to “clarify” some doubts Used by France, which he has insisted on in recent months despite consistently denying the gas connection with Spain, regardless of any argument. With both the PSOE and the PP governments, our country has demanded the French to develop links that have not been successful for decades. According to diplomatic sources, France systematically rejects anything that involves helping Spain.

It is true that the European Commission first approved and then rejected the MidCat project. However, this situation has been completely overcome by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the need to end dependence on Russian gas. This deterioration puts Spain in a difficult position. very advantageous situation because it has a significant park of facilities to regas the ship-bound liquefied natural gas (LNG), but does not have the capacity to inject it into the European grid. Both regasified and that Algeria can supply to the EU.

In addition, the approach of Spain and Germany is that this pipeline will now serve to send gas, but in the medium term it will carry clean energy such as green hydrogen. From the start, this usage dichotomy invalidates one of the French’s most repeated arguments: MidCat. contrary to the purpose of elimination. fossil fuels in 2050. Like the other two connections – there are two pipelines already in operation via Irún (Guipúzcoa) and Larrau (Navarra) – it is not at full capacity and the gas exporter to Spain is Gaul.

Layout conflict

Here are some thoughts from Macron himself in this case, which Teresa Ribera, Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, refuted. Spain has had a net balance of 69% of gas exports to France since the outbreak of war, and about 17% of the days of the connection period were at maximum capacity, which means a use equal to or more than 80% of the gas. its capacity. “An infrastructure works no more than 20% of the day was considered satiated,” he warned.

But both Spanish and French sources admit that the layout of this infrastructure is a problem for the country of Gaul because of the resistance it has found in many municipalities. For Spain it is only a few kilometers, but in France it has a large regional influence. In fact, according to Executive sources, this is exactly what explains Macron’s resistance. This Thursday, Sánchez and Ribera will have the opportunity to check whether the President has any alternatives – the main thing is that he connects with the European network – and the conflict is something like that, whoever pays for it. Seems to be resolved as it will finance Europe.