Despite ongoing hostilities, Spain continues to import gas from Russia, and these imports are not diminishing; they are increasing in share month after month. In fact, the volume of Russian gas reaching the Spanish market this year has strengthened to the point that Russia now ranks as the nation’s third-largest supplier, trailing only Algeria and the United States, which has reaffirmed its status as the leading supplier.
During January and February of this year, only twelve months after the military invasion of Ukraine began at the Kremlin’s urging, Spanish energy companies purchased 11,837 gigawatt hours (GWh) of Russian gas. This figure nearly triples the amount recorded in the same period a year earlier, according to ENAGÁS, the operator of Spain’s gas system, which notes a year-over-year surge of around 172 percent.
The European Union has imposed multiple sanctions packages aimed at weakening Vladimir Putin’s government and cutting funding for the war in Ukraine. Among the broad set of punitive measures, an outright ban on Russian gas purchases has not yet been implemented. Even after a year of conflict, Spain has become a significant buyer of Russian gas shipped by sea, with the gas subsequently re-exported to other markets.
From February of last year through the end of February this year, Russian gas imports by Spanish energy companies rose by roughly 68 percent, surpassing 63,460 GWh compared with 37,700 GWh in the previous thirteen months.
The energy sector cites several factors behind the steady growth of Russian gas purchases over the past year. Long-term contracts, often signed well before the invasion, play a substantial role and cannot be abruptly terminated without exposing companies to major sanctions. In some cases, the rise in deliveries also reflects strategic rerouting of methane tankers intended to serve other European destinations that faced production disruptions at European plants last summer.
Meanwhile, with a large portion of the Russia–Europe gas pipeline network experiencing reduced activity, Spain has emerged as a preferred maritime hub for Russian gas transport. Spain’s extensive regasification capacity, which accounts for about one-third of Europe’s total capacity, positions the country to receive LNG shipments and redistribute gas to other markets. Data from the Strategic Reserves Corporation (Cores) show that gas re-exports from Spain exceeded 72,000 GWh on an annual basis, marking a striking near-92 percent increase over the previous year.
The Spanish government has repeatedly urged energy companies to curb Russia-related purchases, while acknowledging that companies may continue to import Russian gas given the EU’s lack of a coordinated veto framework at the moment.
Algeria returns to the top with the biggest share
As of this year, Russia has displaced Nigeria to become the third-largest source of gas for the Spanish market, holding around 18 percent of total imports. Algeria has reaffirmed its position as the leading supplier to Spain, accounting for about 24.2 percent of imports through the first two months of the year. By contrast, last year the United States occupied the second spot, with roughly 21.7 percent of total purchases in the same period.
The energy crisis and rising prices have intersected with strategic decisions by Algeria, notably the shutdown of the largest gas pipeline to Spain in October 2021. That event disrupted Spain’s traditional import structure and forced a rapid shift toward ship-based gas purchases, reshaping the regional balance of supplier countries. Algeria briefly ceded the top slot to the United States in early 2022, a position the United States held for about a year until January 2023, before the current realignment again elevating Algeria’s relative importance.