French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said the construction of a gas pipeline between Spain and France is not a priority for Paris.

In a press statement in Cernobio, in northern Italy, on the sidelines of an economic forum, he pointed out that “the immediate challenge is to get more gas and more electricity from countries other than Russia,” stressing that “I’m not sure the new gas pipeline will help us get through the winter.”

Le Maire believed that “the challenge now for everyone, for Italy, Germany and France, is to get through next winter without much impact on our economy and our families”, noting that “before we think about investing in a long-term perspective, let’s focus on the challenges we will have to face “in the coming winter”. “Electricity and hydrogen seem more promising to me than the new pipeline, because we want to be based on carbon-free energy,” he said.

On the other hand, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last Tuesday reaffirmed his support for a gas pipeline project across the Pyrenees to “improve the connectivity of the European gas pipeline network” amid the energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The project was launched in 2013, but Madrid and Paris abandoned it in 2019 due to its environmental impact and low economic return. However, Russian threats to cut off gas supplies to the European Union brought the issue back up for discussion.