Spain has not confirmed plans to build a gas pipeline to replace Russian gas

When asked by Izvestia about the possibility of resuming the construction of the Midcat gas pipeline, the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) said that back in January 2019, the regulatory authorities of Spain (CNMC) and France (CRE) stopped it for economic reasons. At the same time, the department said that the energy markets of Spain, like the rest of the EU countries, are currently “reflecting tensions.”

Earlier, the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, citing sources in the Spanish government, reported that the alliance is studying the possibility of building a gas pipeline that would connect Catalonia with Germany. Its goal is to reduce Central Europe’s dependence on Russian fuel. The article also says that the option of restoring the Midcat project, which was not implemented at the time, is being considered, which could become a Mediterranean gas corridor for the delivery of Algerian gas to the center of Europe.

As MITECO told Izvestia, there are already two pipelines in Spain, in the Basque Country and Navarre. Their total capacity is 7 billion cubic meters. m per year. According to La Vanguardia, the capacity of the Midcat gas pipeline would add another 7 billion cubic meters. m. For comparison, the total capacity of Nord Stream (SP) and Nord Stream (SP-2) is 110 billion cubic meters. m of gas.

In the European Union, however, they also emphasized the unprofitability of the idea to resume the construction of Midcat. Peter Stano, spokesman for the EU Foreign Service, told Izvestiya that the pipeline project between Catalonia and France is not included in the fifth list of projects of common interest (PCI) for energy infrastructure in the EU.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Nereal Madrid: the EU is not interested in the Spanish alternative to gas supplies from the Russian Federation