Spain triggered 60% gas purchase from Russia in war year

From February of last year, when the military occupation of Ukraine began, to the end of this January, Russian gas purchases from Spanish energy companies jumped by almost 63%It exceeded 58,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), compared to 35,650 GWh in the previous twelve months, according to records from Enagás, operator of the Spanish gas system.

All through that full year, supply Russia intensifies more than 13% of total Spanish imports, compared to 8.5% in the previous rolling year. During the war, Russia positioned itself as Spain’s fourth-largest gas supplier, after only the United States, Algeria and Nigeria.

The energy sector itself points to different circumstances explaining the steady increase in purchases from Russia over the past year. Imports respond in many cases long-term contracts signed in advance The companies justify that they cannot break through without invading and subjecting themselves to million-dollar sanctions, and that some of the increase in arrivals corresponds to diversion of methane tankers bound for other European countries to seek other destinations. especially to problems with plants in Europe last summer.

With much of the natural gas pipeline network between Russia and Europe at a standstill, Spain has become a priority destination for Russian gas shipping by ship, thanks to its huge park of regasification plants (a third of the EU’s total capacity). , then to sell to other countries. According to the records of Strategic Reserves Corporation (Cores), Gas re-exports from Spain exceeded 68,200 GWh, representing a very strong increase of more than 90%. in just one year.

The Spanish government has repeatedly made public its preference for energy companies to reduce their purchases of Russian gas, but assumes that companies can continue to buy Russian gas, as the European Union has not taken a coordinated decision to veto its imports.

Last week, Naturgy, the largest gas operator in the Spanish market and with which Spain makes a third of its international gas purchases, admitted that it continues to buy Russian gas and does not find sufficient legal justification to break the long-term agreement. It has a contract until 2042 with Yamal, a liquefaction plant controlled by the private Russian group Novatek, French Totalenergies and a consortium of Chinese companies. “There must be a reason for leaving.. And as of today, there is no reason”, condemning Francisco Reynés, head of Naturgy, to defend the supply from Russia.

Nine months without Russian crude

Faced with an increase in Russian gas purchases during the war year, Spanish companies started at the beginning of the invasion to drastically reduce their exposure to oil from Russia. and now they are already accumulating nine consecutive months when they cut off the supply completelyAccording to data from Cores statistics.

The European Union marked itself at the dawn of war. Russia’s target to reduce crude oil purchases by 90% At the end of 2022 and now the country’s oil has set a maximum price of $60 per barrel, which has led the Kremlin to ban the sale of crude oil to countries that impose price ceilings. Spain was well ahead of these targets and paralyzed purchases as recently as last May. Since then, oil imports from Eurasia’s powerhouse have been at zero every month.

During 2021, Spain’s imports of Russian oil recorded a strong increase of 162%. Increases in the purchase level continued until last January; Between February and April, cutbacks in imports accumulated; and since May the arrival of Russian crude oil has been zero. Between January and April last year, Spain received 698,000 tons of Russian crude oil. And at the end of December this amount remains the samel is equivalent to a 73% reduction from the previous year.