No EU veto
Spain continues to receive gas from Russia despite the ongoing war, and even as efforts to ease purchases gain momentum, imports from Moscow are steadily rising. To date this year, Russian gas has grown to become the third-largest source for Spain, accounting for about 18% of total gas purchases, trailing only Algeria and the United States.
The Spanish government has repeatedly urged energy companies to curb Russian gas purchases but has stopped short of a forced halt, noting that the European Union has not issued a unified directive to ban imports.
Recently, the government directly contacted major Spanish gas operators, supplementing a prior call from European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson to halt new Russian gas contracts and to avoid renewing existing ones.
In a letter to key energy stakeholders, Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera urged companies to intensify diversification of liquefied natural gas supply contracts and to reduce reliance on Russia. The message, developed with input from Europa Press, urged maximum cooperation to support Europe’s broader goal of undermining Russia economically and financially to curb its aggression.
The vice president acknowledged the sector’s efforts to maintain energy system stability during the crisis, yet emphasized the need for stronger collective action to align with the objective of weakening Russia’s energy leverage.
In the first two months of this year, Spain’s purchases of Russian gas reached 11,837 gigawatt hours, nearly tripling the volume recorded in the same period last year—an increase of about 172% according to Enagas, the operator of Spain’s gas system.
Europe has imposed several sanctions aimed at squeezing Moscow’s finances to fund the war effort in Ukraine, yet the bloc has not imposed a blanket ban on Russian gas. Spain, over the course of the war, has emerged as a major point of refueling and re-export for Russian gas destined for other markets.
From February last year through the end of February this year, Russian gas imports via Spanish energy companies surpassed 63,460 GWh, rising roughly 68% from 37,700 GWh in the preceding thirteen months.
Why does Russian gas continue to flow? Industry observers point to several factors. Long-term contracts signed before the invasion remain in force, and unwinding them could trigger substantial sanctions exposure. Some of the growth also reflects the redirection of methane tankers toward Europe that faced supply challenges in other regions during the summer. With a large regasification infrastructure footprint, Spain has become a key hub for Russian gas transported by ship, enabling re-exports to neighboring markets. Core energy reserves records show that re-exports from Spain exceeded 72,000 GWh in the last year, marking a sharp rise of nearly 92% year over year.
Naturgy, Spain’s leading gas operator, continues to source gas from Russia under a long-term contract tied to the Yamal LNG project. The agreement envisions a supply of just over 3 billion cubic meters annually through 2042. President Francisco Reynés has stressed that Naturgy remains committed to its contractual obligations, arguing that there is no reason to alter the arrangement as long as it serves the company’s customers and the energy system reliably. [Cores], industry observers note, highlights the tension between contractual commitments and evolving geopolitical pressures as Spain navigates energy security during the crisis.