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Energy crisis: Germany wants a new pipeline – but France opposes it

2022-10-07T18:15:44.731Z


Energy crisis: Germany wants a new pipeline – but France opposes it Created: 07/10/2022, 20:06 By: Lisa Mayerhofer A new pipeline from Spain should offer an alternative for Germany's energy supply. But France senses good business and opposes the plans. La Coruña - Solidarity between European countries has limits - and could yet become a major obstacle on the way to solving the energy crisis. C


Energy crisis: Germany wants a new pipeline – but France opposes it

Created: 07/10/2022, 20:06

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

A new pipeline from Spain should offer an alternative for Germany's energy supply.

But France senses good business and opposes the plans.

La Coruña - Solidarity between European countries has limits - and could yet become a major obstacle on the way to solving the energy crisis.

Current example: Germany and Spain are jointly pushing for the construction of a gas pipeline across the Pyrenees;

France brakes.

Pyrenean pipeline: "It would reassure all Europeans about the situation"

In a joint action plan that was decided on Wednesday at the German-Spanish government consultations in La Coruña, the two countries are committed to the realization of the line called Midcat between Spain and France by 2025.

Later, hydrogen produced with renewable energies will also be transported in this way.

At a press conference, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez together campaigned for the realization of the Pyrenees pipeline.

"I expressly advocate that we create this connection," said Scholz, especially with regard to the possibility of transporting hydrogen.

They want to make the project possible "in friendship and cooperation with France".

"We don't have the impression that that's impossible."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pose for a photo with their cabinet mates in La Coruña, Spain.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Sanchez said it is "a big contradiction that Spain and Portugal are an energy island".

He referred to liquid gas terminals in Spain, which are cut off from the rest of Europe because of the lack of a pipeline.

"That's why Spain and the Iberian Peninsula are asking to be connected to Europe," Sanchez said.

"I think that would be good for France, good for Germany, good for Europe.

It would reassure all Europeans in view of the situation because there would be more alternative energy supplies.”

The natural gas that is to flow north through the pipe could be sourced by Spain and Portugal from different sources, since the two countries together have a total of seven LNG terminals.

There are also two pipelines to the gas supplier Algeria in North Africa.

Pyrenees Pipeline: Gas from Spain – but also from Portugal

Scholz traveled to the government consultations with half his cabinet.

Eight of his 16 ministers, including Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), accompanied him in a new Bundeswehr troop transporter.

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The action plan covers almost all policy areas from education and research to economy, defense and security.

The passage on energy cooperation is of particular current importance.

The Midcat pipeline advocated by Scholz and Sanchez is to run from Barcelona across the Pyrenees to the connection to the French network in Barbaira in southern France.

In Spain, the tube is complete as far as Hostalric, 106 kilometers south of the border; in France, around 120 kilometers are missing.

The project was canceled in 2017 due to lack of profitability.

Now it is to be revived in view of the stop of Russian gas deliveries.

This would have clear advantages for Spain and Germany: While Germany can further expand its energy supply, Spain has the opportunity to better utilize and finance its expensive infrastructure.

However, France is opposed to the project and has so far slowed down its continuation.

According to the

Handelsblatt

, the country is also not interested because France wants to use its own liquid gas terminals.

At the beginning of September, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly rejected Midcat, citing, among other things, environmentally harmful construction work in the Pyrenees and the long completion time.

(lma/dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-10-07

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