Spain’s Energy and Environment Minister, Teresa Ribera, on Tuesday criticized France’s reservations about reviving the MidCat gas pipeline project (Midi-Catalonia), amid energy tensions linked to the conflict in Ukraine. .
Faced with the reduction in Russian gas deliveries, and the planned maintenance work on Nord Stream, the Europeans are trying to find alternatives.
Spain and Portugal have significant capacities forimport of gas and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August again suggested the MidCat option to improve gas network interconnections in Europe.
Launched in 2013, the gas pipeline project via the Pyrenees was to link a city north of Barcelona to Barbaira, in Aude, with the aim of distributing Algerian gas, in particular.
It was suspended in 2019, deemed too costly and damaging to the environment.
“We have to prepare for next winter and, in this context, be able to complete an interconnection which did not make economic sense (in 2019)… but which could be crucial now to guarantee this supply which is missing. to central and northern Europe,” Teresa Ribera told local radio.
“The question is: ‘is it in the interest of France or in the interest of central and northern Europe?'”, she added, believing that the gas pipeline could be operational in the winter. 2023.
Olaf Scholz and the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez called on Tuesday for the construction of a new gas pipeline from the Iberian Peninsula, without, however, criticizing Paris.
France believes that installing new LNG terminals in northern and eastern Europe, particularly in Germany, would be a faster and cheaper alternative to building a new gas pipeline.
Bruno Le Maire did not, however, rule out considering such a possibility. “Spain and Germany are two very close partners of France. So when they make a proposal, we will examine it,” he told reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of his speech at the Meeting of Entrepreneurs. of France (LaREF, former University of Medef).