During a recent energy briefing, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, stated that there is no need to expand gas connections with Spain because existing routes are far from reaching capacity. He argued that adding the outline of a midcat pipeline is not justified by current energy or environmental considerations.
Macron explained at the energy conference that two gas pipelines linking France and Spain through the Basque Country and Navarra are presently underutilized. Since February, they have operated at about a 53% utilization rate, and in August France itself exported gas to Spain rather than the other way around.
Rather than expanding gas interconnections, Macron expressed support for strengthening electrical links with Spain. Following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Europe’s energy outlook, he highlighted the importance of delivering renewable energy produced in France to the rest of the continent and to neighboring countries.
He emphasized that Europe needs reliable electricity available across borders, noting that France must secure greater solidarity in electricity supply as more than half of its nuclear reactors have faced shutdowns for technical reasons.
Macron also touched on reforming the European electricity market to ensure prices reflect actual production costs. Speaking after a video conference with Scholz, he underscored the goal of aligning price signals with real-generation costs to support predictable investments and energy security across the bloc.
In addition, Macron indicated a preference for coordinated European gas purchasing and the implementation of caps on gas prices. The discussion recognizes the historical role that gas pathways have played in European energy trade, including routes that have connected Russia to Europe through existing pipelines.
These positions reflect France’s broader approach to energy strategy, balancing the immediate needs of energy resilience with the longer-term objectives of decarbonization, cross-border electricity trading, and coordinated energy policy that supports European solidarity. The emphasis on cross-border electricity connections matters for maintaining grid stability, integrating more renewable sources, and reducing reliance on any single country for gas or electricity supply.
Observers note that the current pause on expanding gas capacity while investing in electrical interconnections could help accelerate the deployment of wind and solar power, storage solutions, and smart-grid technologies. By aligning market rules with actual generation costs and encouraging joint procurement, European leaders aim to create predictable price signals that encourage investment in cleaner energy and more resilient energy systems.
All of these remarks come amid ongoing discussions about how to balance energy security with environmental commitments, how to manage price volatility, and how to ensure that energy flows support economic stability across France, Spain, and their European partners. The policy stance attributed to Macron suggests a cautious, planful approach that prioritizes proven interconnections and cross-border electricity trading while keeping gas infrastructure changes under review as conditions evolve.