Spain will maintain gas shipments to Morocco this winter, says Sanchez

Spain will be prioritize winter gas supply to Morocco, despite the high demand for this vital resource within the European Union.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated his commitment to continue supplying Morocco with the agreed-upon gas quantities during the upcoming winter season.

The president’s new energy plan is prioritizing the purchase of Russian gas and securing supplies to the Kingdom, according to Libre Mercado.

In addition, Spain was supposed to send gas to northern Europe to ease gas shortage caused by Russia’s retaliation, as Sanchez hinted when he presented his energy-cut decree to the Congress of Deputies on Thursday.

However, the first 20 days of August showed that there has been a shutdown of gas deliveries through the Pyrenean pipeline, which was delivered by France instead.

While Spain halted gas exports to Northern Europe in August, it has maintained a steady supply to Morocco, according to Spanish official data on gas flows.

These data reveal that Spain sent 0.5 GWh per day on August 1st, which increased on the 2nd to 1 GWh.

Moreover, a peak shipment of 31.5 GWh was recorded on the 5th and has maintained these exports with significant volumes, such as the 18.7 GWh shipped on August 15, or the 11.4 GWh on August 19.

After Spain’s new position on the Western Sahara and regarding the current diplomatic tensions between Algeria and Spain, the volume of purchased gas from Algeria fell to 8,572 GWh in July 2022 compared to a total of 13,505 GWh consumed in July 2021.

In the midst of successive important events, Spain will have to rely on very expensive gas suppliers such as Russia or their traditional gas supplier, Algeria, who has warned Sánchez that if the supply of natural gas to Morocco continues, it will further tighten trade relations.