Spain and Portugal reject EU plan to limit natural gas use

BARCELONA, Spain — 

The European Union’s plan to lessen the bloc’s purely natural gasoline use by 15% to prepare for a opportunity cutoff by Russia this winter season received sharp skepticism Thursday from the governments of Spain and Portugal, which are typically big supporters of the bloc.

The governments in Madrid and Lisbon mentioned they would not assist the initiative announced by European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. The proposal would start off with voluntary reductions, but the EU’s head business also wants the ability to make 15% savings mandatory in the event of an EU-extensive electricity crisis.

Spain and Portugal mentioned earning reductions compulsory was a non-starter. They pointed out that there are scant energy connections linking them to the relaxation of Europe and that they use incredibly minor Russian gasoline in contrast to fellow EU users these as Germany and Italy.

“We will defend European values, but we will not take a sacrifice pertaining to an challenge that we have not even been authorized to give our view on,” Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera said.

“No subject what transpires, Spanish family members won’t experience cuts to fuel or to the electricity to their residences,” she mentioned. “(The evaluate) would serve for very little if the gasoline that could not be applied by Spanish industries could not then afterwards be utilized by the residences or industries of other international locations.”

Portugal’s secretary for the natural environment and electricity, João Galamba, said the proposed evaluate was “unsustainable” and “disproportionate.”

“The total logic at the rear of rationing presupposes interlinked (European gas distribution) programs, and it appears the European Commission forgot about that,” Galamba advised the Portuguese newspaper Publico.

He included: “Portugal was for many years and yrs disadvantaged because it experienced no links” to the relaxation of Europe’s electricity distribution network and the country has normally had to get “more highly-priced fuel.”

The lowered electrical connections and gas pipelines concerning Spain and France led to the EU making it possible for Iberian countries to put in their very own price-handle mechanisms this spring.

All EU nations around the world — as nicely as a lot of nations around the world — are battling soaring inflation pushed by power costs rising in component because of to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Spain’s remaining-wing coalition government has confronted protests by motorists and farmers in current months owing to rate hikes. Inflation in Spain peaked above 10% in June, compared to 8.6% for the eurozone.

Spain relied on gasoline for 27% of its electrical power in June, when compared to 48% from renewable resources, according to Enagás, the operator of Spain’s normal fuel network. Russia furnished 10% of Spain’s gasoline imports this 12 months, guiding the United States (34%), Algeria (25%) and Nigeria (14%), Enagás mentioned.

Spanish officers also noted their expanded infrastructure for importing LNG — liquified purely natural fuel. With 6 crops in Spain and just one in Portugal, they account for 1-third of Europe’s LNG processing ability. Ribera reported 20% of the gas imported to Spain previous month was afterwards sent to other EU associates.

The EU(backslash)s 27 member nations approach to focus on the proposed fuel-conserving measures at an crisis conference of energy ministers on Tuesday.

___ AP author Barry Hatton contributed to this report from Lisbon.

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