Once again, France has showered Spain’s hopes of seeing the construction of the MidCat gas pipeline between Catalonia and Occitania come to fruition. “The short-term challenge is to have more gas, more electricity from countries other than Russia (…) I’m not sure a new gas pipeline can get us through the wintersaid the French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, on Saturday, September 3. Before thinking about long-term investment, let’s focus on the challenges we face next winter. »
In Spain, where we already want to anticipate the risks for winter 2023-2024, French reluctance is finding it increasingly difficult to overcome. Editorials in the Spanish press criticize “French selfishness” and the government does not fail to point out that Germany, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz constantly repeats, is interested in improving gas connections with southern Europe. “The countries of the center and the North are thinking about the alternatives available to them and see the limits of having remained halfway through the process of sharing infrastructures”, explain to World the Spanish Minister for Energy Transition, Teresa Ribera, for whom the question should not be perceived as a problem “bilateral”.
Six factories
The idea of building a new gas pipeline between Catalonia and southwestern France dates back to the early 2000s. In 2010, the construction of the infrastructure was even started – a section was completed between Martorell and Hostalric, around Barcelona – before being abandoned a year later, against a backdrop of outcry from environmentalists, and lack of interest in continuing the infrastructure on the French side, despite the strengths of Spain.
It emerges from the bitter comments circulating in Madrid the regret of coming up against French reluctance when it comes to touching on the question of interconnections
Connected to Algeria by the Medgaz submarine gas pipeline, with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year, it was also, until its closure on 1er November 2021, after a crisis between Algeria and Morocco, by the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline. It also has six liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plants in operation (and a seventh in hibernation), representing 35% of the European Union’s capacity, or 60 billion cubic meters per year. To transit this gas, the country has only two gas pipelines in Navarre and the Basque Country, which only allow the passage of 8 billion cubic meters per year to France.
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