Ribera assures that Spain could increase gas exports by between 20% and 30% in two or three months

A new gas pipeline through Catalonia would require eight or nine months

MADRID, 12 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, assured this Friday that the installation of an additional compressor in the interconnections in France could increase the capacity to export gas from Spain by between 20% and 30%.

Ribera explained in an interview on TVE that this measure, together with better logistics for methane tankers, could be short-term solutions to contribute to Europe's gas supply in the face of "Putin's blackmail".

To do this, the minister hopes to make better use of the port of Gijón for the shipment of methane tankers from December.

The vice president celebrated the words of the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who demanded this Thursday a gas pipeline that would allow Portugal and Spain to supply the rest of Europe.

For Ribera, these words are proof that Spain's gas interconnection is not a bilateral issue with France, but something that involves other EU countries. In fact, he has invited Germany to be part of the high-level meetings that are currently being held with the neighboring country.

The Minister for Ecological Transition has recognized that the construction of the Midcat will require a "very important investment" and has defended the need for it to be an infrastructure that is planned for a life of between 30 and 50 years in which, subsequently, the gas make way for renewable hydrogen in your pipelines.

Ribera has assured that the work on the Spanish part of the gas pipeline could be completed in eight or nine months, but the final deadlines also depend on what France does on its part of the border.

"It makes little sense for us to run a lot if, on the French side, it becomes an exit alley," he remarked. He also added that as it is a project that will improve security of supply throughout Europe, the Government considers that it should be financed as a European project.

The minister highlighted the possibilities of taking energy measures at a European level and stressed Spain's willingness to collaborate with its partners in the context of the energy crisis.