gas

RepsolImaz

Europe has gas but doesn’t exploit it, “because we are sustainable, so we commit to buying it from the US. A fantastic exercise in continental hypocrisy,” explains Repsol CEO

Europe has significant gas fields in the Netherlands, the North Sea, Poland, and Spain, but they are not exploited. “We say we don’t do it because we are sustainable, and then we make a commitment to buy it from the US, which is a fantastic exercise in continental hypocrisy,” says Repsol’s CEO, Josu Jon Imaz. This is because “these products are then imported, increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the…


439x

Spanish gas reserves at full capacity

On 14 September, Spanish gas reserves reached 100% of their capacity, 24 percentage points above the level recorded on the same day last year. This level has allowed the quotation in MIBGAS to remain at an average daily price of €34.80/MWh in the first fortnight. Imports from Algeria remain very solid, at almost 70 mcm/d. In August, 25 LNG tankers unloaded, the same as last year, and in this first…


LNG regasification ship

Europe’s gas storage at 90%

Santander | Europe’s gas storage reached 90% of storage capacity on August 16, well ahead of the EU’s requirement to reach that level by November 1, which marks the start of the winter heating season. European Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson, commented that this “underlines that the EU is well prepared for winter, which will help to further stabilise markets in the coming months. The EU energy market is in a…


gas natural almacenamiento

Gas prices plummet following mild weather conditions

Caixabank Research | Natural gas prices have decreased almost 45% since the beginning of the year, but the outlook remains challenging. The warm start of the year alongside the uptick in LNG imports in Europe since Q4-22, have left European natural gas storages at historical maximums at the end of February (60% vs 40% last 5-year February average). Looking ahead, we have revised prices down for 2023 (to €113/MWh average…


LNG regasification ship

Spanish LNG purchases from Russia up 45% in 2022

Spain has increased its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Moscow by 45%, according to data from the latest Enagás statistical bulletin, published by El Periódico de la Energía. According to the newspaper La Vanguardia, it all started when Algeria closed the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME), one of the two that supply Spain, after the spanish government changed its position to favour Morocco’s claims over the Sahara, in the…


gas natural almacenamiento

EU launches ‘gas cap’ (€180 MW/h) full of exceptions

A record six (mostly extraordinary) meetings were held in the end and the last one produced a white smoke: an agreement to impose a €180 cap on the price of imported gas. The new ‘gas market correction mechanism’ will operate with a double safety key. It will be triggered automatically when, for 3 consecutive days, the price on the Dutch TTF market reaches 180 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). But…


french interconexion

Gas consumption in Europe fell by 19% in November

In Europe, in November, the fall in natural gas demand was 19%, much more than the 15% drop estimated by the EU. In addition, November is the first month in which we can see how the residential and commercial segment is reacting to higher energy prices. Demand from the industrial customer has already been falling for several months (-28% vs 5 year average) and has not been surprising. But the…


BarMar

Sánchez, Macron And Costa Agree To Bury Midcat And Replace It With “A Green Corridor” Between Barcelona And Marseille

Pedro Sánchez, Emmanuel Macron and António Costa (who, for Portugal, has also been part of the dialogue) have decided to discard the gas pipeline that had been proposed through the Pyrenees, the MidCat. They have agreed that a new project, BarMar, will replace it. This is an underwater gas (or hydro-product) pipeline that will link Barcelona and Marseille via the Mediterranean Sea bed. This solution, however, has its cost: the…


NataliaFabra 2

“Carbon Prices Are Having Perverse Effects”

Carlos Schwartz | Natalia Fabra is a director of Enagás and chair of the European programme “CURRENT TOOLS AND POLICY CHALLENGES IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS”. Q:There seems to be a shift in thinking about pricing mechanisms in the energy sector at the moment. A: Yes, it is part of the paradigm shift. It has been realised that, in the case of the electricity market, it is not correct to remunerate power…


Teresa Ribera

The Spanish Government Refuses To Reduce Gas Consumption By 15%, As Demanded By Brussels

Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, has lashed out harshly against the Brussels plan to force EU countries to reduce gas consumption by 15% during the autumn and winter months. According to Ribera, this plan is “neither the most effective, nor the most efficient, nor the fairest”. “We have strategic reserves. We have done our homework. We have achieved a very solid position” in terms of security of supply, said…