Algerian methane tankers avoid Spanish ports.

This year,

Algeria has stepped on the brakes on the shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship

to Spain.

The volume of fuel that the country has received through this route

has fallen by 74%

between January and November compared to the same period in 2021, according to the latest data collected by Enagás.

Between January and November, Spain received

5,400 GW/h (gigawatt hours)

of Algerian liquefied gas, compared to nearly 21,100 GW/h in the first eleven months of last year.

This is an all-time low.

For seven years (the first data published is that of 2016), the entry of Algerian LNG

had never dropped below 10,000 GWh

as of November, except for 2020, the year of the pandemic, when demand plummeted in the context of global economic slowdown.

The collapse occurred at a time of special tension between Spain and Algeria, after the diplomatic turn of the Government of Pedro Sánchez on the situation in Western Sahara.

Despite the fact that the Executive has minimized the impact of the diplomatic conflict with Algiers from the beginning, the distance between the two countries, historical partners in energy matters, reached such a point that the Algerian authorities ordered their banks to

freeze commercial operations with Spain

last June.

The slowdown in the flow of Algerian LNG comes against the backdrop of a critical year for Europe, which has been in an unprecedented race to fill its gas reserves in the face of Russia's threat of a complete supply cutoff.

Each country in its own way, all the Member States arrived on November 1 with reserves above

90%

, although industry experts agree that the problem will come in 2023 and 2024. Well, although Russia has breached contracts and has open and close the gas tap at will, at least, it has contributed to filling European stores.

In this race,

countries such as Malta, Greece or Italy have gained positions against Spain

in the reception of LNG from Algeria, taking advantage of the distance between the last two, historical partners in energy matters, according to sources in the sector.

The Algerian LNG cut in Spanish tanks has been offset by an increase in gas from the US, which has floated methane tankers to transport almost

116,200 GWh

to Spain until November, compared to just over

49,400 GWh

the previous year, which means

57% more

.

From Enagás they frame this situation in the "international situation" and point out: "Like the neighboring countries, Spain is experiencing a

greater diversification of

LNG supply origins."

"We continue to have very important imports through the Algerian gas pipeline (Medgaz), which until November is the second supplier of natural gas in Spain," the gas company stresses.

LNG is almost 40 euros more expensive

At the end of last month, Spain reported a significant increase in the demand for liquefied natural gas compared to the purchase of gas by tube.

LNG, which is transported in a liquid state and is transformed again at destination (a process known as regasification), accounted for 76.4% of the total despite being much more expensive.

According to the latest figures from the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) corresponding to the month of August, the price of gas imports per ship stood at

77.7 euros/MWh

, compared to

39.3 euros

of gas through pipes.

The main beneficiary of the national appetite for liquefied gas is the US, a country that, for the first time since records exist,

has overtaken Algeria as Spain's main gas supplier

.

At the end of November, US ships accounted for

28.5%

of national demand, above the sum of Algerian ships and gas pipelines, whose share was

23.7%

.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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