The Diplomat
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has definitively expressed his rejection of the MidCat gas pipeline project, stating that he considers the two current pipelines (Irun and Larrau-Calahorra) to be sufficient for the future.
This was the French leader’s assurance at a press conference following a video conference with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, where the main topic was the energy situation in both countries.
“We are not in the process of saturating existing connections and there is no need for Spain to export its gas capacities to France, as it is importing at the moment I am talking about. I don’t understand the short-term problem that we are trying to solve,” Macron said in statements reported by Le Monde.
The president indicated that the two existing gas pipelines between Spain and France, which pass through the Basque Country and Navarre, are used at 53% of their capacity, so he does not see the need for a third interconnection project.
On Saturday, the French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, questioned the use of the pipeline, although he had indicated that he would examine the project that same week following a request from the Spanish and German governments.
The MidCat project has been stalled for years because of its high costs and the hitherto low price of Russian supplies. The 226 kilometres of pipeline from the Catalan town of Hostalric to the French town of Barbaira have yet to be built, and Spain is asking the EU to cover the costs.
Last week, at the end of a joint meeting, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again called for the project.
In addition, during the press conference, Macron also backed the idea of exporting gas to Germany in order to import electricity from the country. “For the first time in a long time, France is exporting gas to the rest of Europe. We are going to stand up and put ourselves in a position of gas solidarity with Germany if the winter is difficult and it needs it,” he said.
Despite this energy swap, the French president advocated reducing consumption by both households and companies, alluding to the fact that “the best energy is that which is not consumed”. He also warned that if consumption is not reduced, there will be restrictive measures. “The rationing plan is what will save us from cuts, and cuts will only intervene as a last resort,” he insisted.
At the European level, Macron expressed his support for joint gas purchases at the European level, as well as an EU “contribution mechanism” by companies instead of a tax on profits.
