Spain noted a strong drop in Russian gas exports to Europe

MADRID, Sep 23 – PRIME. Gas deliveries from Russia to Europe have fallen by more than 82% in a year, Teresa Ribera, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of Spain, said in an interview on RTVE on Friday.

“In just a year, the flow of gas from Russia fell by more than 82%. In fact, in January 2021, supplies from Russia accounted for about 40% of the gas consumed in Europe. At the moment, this figure does not reach 10%,” she said.

Ribera explained that Europe has long been preparing for a complete reduction in gas exports from Russia, relying on the autonomy and self-sufficiency of the region. In this context, the Minister once again emphasized that Spain has sufficient resources to help its closest neighbors, France and Italy, in the current energy crisis.

So, on Thursday, the Spanish government said that the kingdom has prepared the technical base to increase gas supplies to France, and is also going to invest in infrastructure to send more liquefied natural gas to Italy.

At the moment, Spain is actively positioning itself as a major gas hub capable of resolving the European energy crisis caused by the reduction in Russian gas supplies.

The Kingdom is considered one of the EU countries with the widest list of natural gas suppliers. According to the EpData information platform created by Europa Press, among the traditional gas exporters to the kingdom are Algeria, the United States, France, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last Thursday that Russian gas exports to the EU will drop by 50 billion cubic meters this year. According to the International Energy Agency, the European Union imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2021, which is 45% of European imports and 40% of its total consumption. Thus, according to these data, deliveries from the Russian Federation may be reduced by almost a third – by 32.3%.