French president says the Midcat, which also supports Berlin, makes no sense despite Russia’s supplies to much of Europe
Full stop for the Midcat gas pipeline, the infrastructure called for to definitively connect Spain’s gas network to France’s via the Pyrenees. France’s President Emmanuel Macron has indicated that this installation would have “effects” on the environment, and has questioned the need to overcome an energy crisis in Europe due to the lack of Russian gas.
“I am not convinced that we need more gas interconnections [entre Francia y España]whose impacts, especially in the environment and ecosystems, are very important,” Macron said at a press conference regarding the Midcat project.
The Midcat project would enable Spain, as well as Portugal, to transport liquefied natural gas from the United States or Qatar via France to Central Europe. But Macron believes that the two existing gas pipelines are not operating at full capacity and that France is even “exporting” gas to Spain. “If we were to use our gas pipelines 100% and if there was currently a need to export gas to France, Germany or another, I would say yes, but it is not true,” he added.
The statements come just days after government President Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on Tuesday on the need to expand gas links between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe so that partners from the center and this is no longer dependent on Russian arbitrariness.
There are two ways in which Spain can supply gas: France or Italy. And Sánchez did not rule out the latter option on Tuesday, if Emmanuel Macron’s director turned down the gas pipeline through the Pyrenees from Catalonia. Sánchez recalled that interconnections with Europe are less than 10%, “far from the commitments we have made”. For this reason, he thanked “Germany’s commitment” to clarify that if the current connections “are not carried out at the right pace, Italy’s is also on the table”. In other words, if France opposes Midcat, the path of the gas pipeline through the Mediterranean will open up.
Sánchez recalled that interconnections with Europe are less than 10%, “far from the commitments we have made”. For this reason, he thanked “Germany’s commitment” to clarify that if the current connections “are not carried out at the right pace, Italy’s is also on the table”. In other words, if France opposes Midcat, the path of the gas pipeline through the Mediterranean will open up.
Conscious of Spain’s privileged position in this regard, as it has almost a third of all regasifiers in the EU (the points of the ports where the methane tankers arrive with liquefied natural gas), Pedro Sánchez has insisted on the need to improve connections to “help the countries that need it most”. “We shouldn’t have any bottlenecks,” he said. “Whether for France or for Italy, Spain must show solidarity and heed the call of friendly countries,” he declared during his performance with Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
After that joint statement by the Spanish and German presidents, a timid statement by France about the gas pipeline followed. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said that both countries are “friends” and that it is necessary to analyze their opinions. “From the moment they ask, from the moment friends ask, we examine the demand of our friends, of our partners,” said the French head of the country’s economic policy. Now his boss, Macron, has closed that door for good.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
