Spain pushes for EU cash for new gas pipelines as alternative to Russian energy supplies

PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez has said he believes the EU should front cash to pay for any new gas connections between Spain and those European allies trying to source alternative supplies to Russia.

Spain, which has a relatively low dependence on Russian gas supplies, wants a new pipeline built between the peninsula and neighbouring France.

Speaking after a meeting of EU leader, Sanchez said it was the bloc’s turn to pay for the infrastructure after Spain has heavily invested over the past decades into capacity to unload and regasify LNG.

“We are talking about capacities that were financed by the efforts of the Spanish taxpayer and that we will make available to the European Union,” he said.

The Brussels meeting had the Russian invasion of Ukraine predictably high on the agenda.

European countries are scrambling to come up with ways to reduce big dependence on Russian oil and gas supplies.

Russia has implemented a new policy which demands payment for its hefty natural gas supply in roubles only to try and prevent the currency crashing.

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