Spain’s gas imports jump 27% in July led by LNG

News wire — Spain’s gas imports in July jumped 27% from a year earlier as shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG), mainly from the United States and Russia, soared, government data showed on Thursday.

Spain imported the equivalent of 36,606 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of natural gas in July, Cores, an arm of the Energy and Environment Ministry, said.

LNG shipments more than doubled and represented 72% of the total imports, while purchases through pipelines, mainly from Algeria, fell 38%, Cores indicated in the statement.

Spain’s gas consumption increased in the summer as several heatwaves boosted demand for air conditioning and drought curbed hydropower output.

The country depends on LNG deliveries by sea and a pipeline link to Algeria, which is in a diplomatic spat with Spain over Western Sahara.

Europe’s energy crisis has grown more acute since Russia halted its Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline and Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to cut all oil and gas supplies if Europe imposes price caps.

Last month, Spanish gas companies filled storage to 80% of capacity, according to grid operator Enagas.

In July, Russian gas accounted for 14.5% of Spanish imports, twice as much as a year earlier, while gas from the United States represented 23% of imports, up from 9.2%.

Spanish companies increased LNG imports from Russia during the summer but annual deliveries will stay at around 7% of imports as usual, Energy Minister Teresa Ribera said this week.

Spain re-exported the equivalent of 4,329 gigawatt-hours of gas, mainly to France.