Spain set a fresh natural gas export record to France, driven by two linked transmission lines that connect the two nations. In April, the Larrau line to Irún and the Navarra route in the Basque Country carried a total of 6.52 terawatt-hours (TWh), according to Enagás, the operator of the Spanish gas system. This marks the highest monthly export level since May 2022, when roughly 5.9 TWh was sent via the Pyrenees amid the war in Ukraine and fears of widespread shortages in Europe.
Strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform—aimed at raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64—appear to have influenced this surge. Three regasification terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) faced service interruptions due to the March 9 industrial action. The CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, noted at a recent analyst conference that the company would discuss first-quarter results and related market dynamics, underscoring how labor actions can ripple through energy flows.
The stoppages reduced domestic gas production and increased dependence on imports to meet demand. As observed, since the strike began in a neighboring country, seven methane carriers bound for French terminals were diverted to Spanish facilities for regasification before reloading onto pipelines for shipment, per Aizpiri’s remarks.
Over a year’s span, the total flow to France reached 9.8 TWh. Enagás records show that the export balance began rising toward maximum capacity around March 22. From that point and for the following ten days, Spain sent more gas to France through the pipeline than Algeria’s network did. In April, the Almería interconnection posted a higher flow, about 6.9 TWh, compared with the Pyrenees route, though both paths contributed to the overall volume.
All of this occurred despite the Irun compression station disruptions in mid-February that temporarily constrained the pipeline’s capacity. By April 4, the interconnection’s maximum daily capacity stood at 225 GWh, and the prior limit of around 265 GWh per day, set in November of the previous year, remained part of the market’s planning outlook. Enagás’ leadership indicated that the capacity would recover in the coming days, with average daily shipments in April hovering around 217 GWh.
Last year, Spain’s government under Pedro Sánchez explored leveraging the unfinished MidCat project to double current cross-border gas capacity with France and repurpose the line for hydrogen in the future. France’s government, led by Macron, did not endorse that transition, prompting consideration of alternative routes. The Priori, H2Med, or BarMar concepts emerged, focusing on hydrogen movement, though practical implementation continues to evolve as policy and technology choices align with energy security goals in the region.