Spain

Algeria resumes Spanish gas supply dominance despite diplomatic tensions and mild winter

By Betty Henderson • Published: 10 Mar 2023 • 10:10 • 1 minute read

The Medgaz pipeline from Algeria was one of Spain’s primary sources of natural gas in the first two months of 2023. Photo credit: horrapics / Wikimedia Commons

AFTER a year of diplomatic tensions between Spain and Algeria over the issue of independence for Western Sahara, Algeria is back to being Spain’s primary supplier of natural gas.

According to figures released on Thursday, March 9, Algeria topped the list of Spanish gas suppliers for the first two months of 2023. The North African nation accounted for 24.2 per cent of Spain’s gas imports in the first two months of 2023 with its Medgaz pipeline.

Algeria surpassed the United States who supplied 21.7 per cent of Spain’s natural gas in January and February, down from around 40 per cent in parts of 2022.

Spain continues to receive significant amounts of gas from Russia, which accounted for almost 20 per cent of Spain’s demand in the first two months of 2023, up from just eight per cent in the same period last year.

This shift is largely down to climatic factors, Spain experienced a milder winter than expected, resulting in lower demand for gas.

The good weather conditions have resulted in underground gas storage facilities in Spain being 79 per cent full in February, a 43 per cent higher than February 2022.