Spain Slashes Algerian Gas Imports, Boosts Russian Purchases Amid Energy Shift
Spain has reduced its gas imports from Algeria by 42% in the period from January to July and has increased its purchases from Russia by 15.6% after the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the latest data from Enagas published in July.
During this period, Spain bought 64,534 GWh of gas from Algeria, of which 60,056 GWh (93%) via the Medgaz and the rest by methane carriers in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG), reports La Información. In July, Spain imported 24.5% of Algerian gas compared to 48.8% a year earlier. On the other hand, it imported 28,265 GWh of Russian gas from January to July, or 10.7% of total imports, and 5,317 GWh for the month of July alone.
Given these figures, Russia became Spain’s fourth largest supplier in July, behind Algeria (23.3%), the United States (23.2%) and Nigeria (16%). Four years ago, Russian gas imports accounted for barely 2.5% of the total and 5.8% of LNG.
Since the closure of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline by Algeria at the end of October 2021, the United States has become Spain’s main gas supplier, providing up to 45% of gas to the country in the first half of 2022. But Spain’s imports of American gas have increased over time, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2020 and 23% in 2021, according to data from Cores and Enagás.
In December 2021, American natural gas imports by Spain were 24.7%, compared to 10.9% for Russia and 26.9% for Algeria. The country regained its position as Spain’s top gas supplier during the month of July, with 8,572 GWh (23.3%) compared to 8,530 GWh (23.2%) for the United States.
