After the cabinet meeting, Spanish Minister for Transforming the Environment, Teresa Ribera, said that “it would be good if the companies that sell gas strive to reduce their imports from Russia as much as possible.”
The message, which the minister says she wants to convey “immediately” to energy groups, came at a time when Russia became Spain’s second largest supplier of gas after the United States last June. Unlike oil, Russian gas is not subject to European sanctions imposed after the war with Ukraine. Ribera pointed out that Russian gas purchases in June “may be in line with trade agreements before the war,” stressing the importance of diversifying Spanish companies’ contracts.
According to the Spanish Gas Network Authority, 24.4% of gas imported by Spain last month came from Russia, compared to 29.6% from the US. Algeria, which has long been the main supplier to the country, accounted for only 21.6% of imports.
Source: El Iktisad
