To reduce the dependency on Russian gas post-invasion on Ukraine, France is in talks with Spain to construct a gas pipeline connecting the two countries.
The French ambassador in Madrid, Jean-Michel Casa, said that France has long refused Spanish calls to build the link but is now ready to discuss the feasibility of the Midcat pipeline if Madrid officially requests it.
Casa said, “Now that the underlying situation has changed, is it necessary to talk about Midcat? Let’s talk”.
Both energy regulators in Spain and Portugal rejected the investment proposal for a central section of the Midcat line crossing the Pyrenees in 2019. This disappointed leaders in Spain and Portugal who had been pushing the project for years to strengthen energy links with the rest of Europe.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit Paris. He will be meeting France President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the gas pipeline matter.
The construction of the pipeline will help Europe drift away from Russian gas and provide them access to Algerian gas. This will also boost liquefy natural gas imports via Spain. Around a quarter of Europe’s regasification capacity is in Spain
In the future, the pipeline can also be helpful to facilitate other types of fuels like hydrogen to flow through it.
