Spain and France ditch contentious gasoline pipeline for undersea venture

Spain and France have agreed to construct an undersea vitality pipeline between the 2 nations, dropping contentious plans for a gasoline hyperlink over the Pyrenees as EU leaders search methods to deal with the vitality disaster.

The brand new venture brings to an finish a long-running Franco-Spanish dispute over Midcat, the Pyrenean pipeline plan Madrid advocated strongly however that Paris opposed.

Talking in Brussels throughout an EU summit, the French, Spanish and Portuguese leaders outlined a “inexperienced vitality hall” comprising a submarine pipeline designed to hold gasoline and hydrogen from Barcelona to Marseille, in addition to new gasoline hyperlinks between Portugal and Spain. Additionally they agreed to enhance electrical energy interconnections between the French and Spanish grids.

The brand new plans will higher stability Europe’s want for extra gasoline imports with its long-term mission of combating local weather change, French president Emmanuel Macron mentioned. “This is a vital second for European solidarity.”

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez mentioned they might “unite the Iberian peninsula with France and subsequently the European vitality market”. His vitality minister Teresa Ribera described the deal as “very good”.

The settlement underlines EU efforts to keep up unity forward of what analysts predict will likely be a tough winter. The bloc has been searching for to bolster its vitality infrastructure following Moscow’s choice to chop gasoline provides as retaliation for EU help for Ukraine.

António Costa, the Portuguese prime minister, mentioned the brand new undersea plan allowed the nations “to beat a historic blockage”.

Spain beforehand argued the Midcat pipeline might be constructed for €375mn by the top of 2023. However France predicted a value of €3bn, an extended development time and stiff native opposition. Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, had publicly backed Spain on Midcat.

A Spanish official mentioned the submarine pipeline, dubbed BarMar, would set off fewer environmental issues, however mentioned that it will take longer to construct and price greater than the earlier venture.

The nations are casting the undersea pipeline as a inexperienced venture to make it eligible for EU funding, saying it will primarily transport hydrogen or “different renewable gases”, mentioned Thierry Bros, an vitality professional at Sciences Po in Paris. “This may solely get constructed if the EU kicks within the cash.”

The Spanish official mentioned Enagás, the nation’s gasoline grid operator and the corporate that was able to construct Midcat, had studied the undersea pipeline thought in current days.

Enagás chief govt Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri mentioned on Thursday: “It’s a very strong proposal technically and would cut back the environmental and social affect.”

Macron mentioned he would go to Spain in early December to finalise the venture.