The Diplomat
Spain’s imports of gas from Algeria fell by 42% year-on-year in the January-July period, while purchases from Russia increased by 15.6%, according to the latest data published in the Enagás Statistical Bulletin for July.
During this period, Spain bought 64,534 gigawatt hours (GWh) of gas from Algeria, of which 60,056 GWh (93%) arrived by pipeline (Medgaz) and the rest in methane tankers in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The lesser importance of purchases from the African country can also be seen in the accumulated data, since up to July the share of Algerian imports stood at 24.5%, compared with 48.8% a year earlier.
As for Russia, Spain bought 28,265 GWh from this country up to July and 5,317 GWh during the seventh month of the year alone. However, the July figure represents a reduction of almost 40% compared to June, when a record 8,752 GWh were imported.
With these figures, Russia became Spain’s fourth largest supplier in July, behind Algeria (23.3%), the United States (23.2%) and Nigeria (16%). In the cumulative period of the seven months of the year, Russia maintains a share of 10.7%, the same as in 2021, also being the fourth supplier country.
On the other hand, the United States continues to be one of the main players on the map of gas imports into Spain, although in July it ceded first place to Algeria by just one tenth of a point.
Purchases from the United States in July amounted to 8,530 GWh, slightly less than the 8,572 GWh from Algeria, which places the North American country with a share of 23.2% and the African country with 23.3%. In the accumulated period, the United States has emerged as Spain’s main gas supplier in the context of the war, with a share of 32.9%, almost 10 points more than Algeria, after accumulating purchases of 86,609 GWh.
Likewise, the figures for the North American country contrast with those of a year earlier, when it only had a share of 9.1% in the accumulated period.
