Spain continues to take incoming gas Russia Despite the war, and aside from easing purchases, these imports are growing more and more strongly. In fact, so far this year, the weight of Russian gas inflows to the Spanish market is strengthening, and Russia has already positioned itself as the country’s third-largest supplier, with an 18% share of total purchases, behind only Algeria and the United States.
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.
Now the Executive has requested directly letter to major Spanish gas operators In addition to the request made by Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy of the European Commission, stop buying Russian gas and do not sign new supply contracts.
“It is necessary to unite in this demand from the Commission and call on Spanish companies in the sector to intensify the diversification of liquefied natural gas supply contracts and do without those from Russia,” he demands. Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, in a letter to major Spanish energy operators, the content of which was developed by Europa Press.
The vice president acknowledges and appreciates the companies’ efforts to ensure the stability of the entire energy system in the midst of a crisis, but now calls on them for “maximum cooperation and support” to go one step further on target. To weaken Russia economically and financially to stop its aggression.
In January and February of this year, just one year after the start of the military invasion of Ukraine at the behest of the Kremlin, purchases of Russian gas by Spanish energy companies reached 11,837 gigawatt hours (GWh), almost tripling the volume recorded in the same months. last year’s (+172%) enagas, Operator of the Spanish gas system.
No EU veto
The European Union has launched several sanctions packages against Russia to financially suppress the Vladimir Putin Government and cut off the financing channels for the war in Ukraine. Among the many punitive measures, the blockade of Russian gas purchases is not included for the time being. And after a year of war, Spain is becoming a major buyer of Russian gas, with ships for later re-export to other countries.
From February of last year, when the military occupation of Ukraine began, to the end of February, Russian gas imports from Spanish energy companies exceeded 63,460 GWh, up about 68% compared to 37,700 GWh in the previous thirteen months. .
Why Does Russian Gas Keep Coming?
The energy sector points to different circumstances explaining the steady increase in purchases from Russia over the past year. Imports are responding to long-term contracts, which in most cases were signed long before the invasion and could not be broken without exposing themselves to million-dollar sanctions, companies justify this, and some of the increase in arrivals corresponds to the intended diversion of methane tankers. especially to other European countries that had to look for other destinations due to the problems experienced in the European factories in the last summer.
In parallel, with a significant part of the natural gas pipeline network between Russia and Europe at a standstill, Spain has become a priority destination for the transport of Russian gas by ship, thanks to its huge park of regasification plants (concentrating one-third of all capacity). EU), then to sell to other countries. According to the records of the Corporación de Reservas Estratégicas (Cores), re-exports of gas from Spain have exceeded 72,000 GWh in the last twelve months, representing a very strong increase of almost 92% in just one year.
Naturgy, Spain’s largest gas operator, continues to buy gas from Russia as a result of a long-term contract with Yamal, a liquefaction plant controlled by the private Russian group Novatek, French Totalenergies and a consortium of Chinese companies. The contract envisions a gas supply of just over 3 billion cubic meters per year by 2042. “Naturgy does two things: always deliver on its commitments and deliver it to the end,” the president said a few weeks ago. member of the group, Francisco Reynés. “There must be a reason for breaking. And so far there is no reason,” he condemned to defend the supply from Russia.