On 14 September, Spanish gas reserves reached 100% of their capacity, 24 percentage points above the level recorded on the same day last year. This level has allowed the quotation in MIBGAS to remain at an average daily price of €34.80/MWh in the first fortnight. Imports from Algeria remain very solid, at almost 70 mcm/d. In August, 25 LNG tankers unloaded, the same as last year, and in this first…
Santander | Europe’s gas storage reached 90% of storage capacity on August 16, well ahead of the EU’s requirement to reach that level by November 1, which marks the start of the winter heating season. European Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson, commented that this “underlines that the EU is well prepared for winter, which will help to further stabilise markets in the coming months. The EU energy market is in a…
Caixabank Research | Natural gas prices have decreased almost 45% since the beginning of the year, but the outlook remains challenging. The warm start of the year alongside the uptick in LNG imports in Europe since Q4-22, have left European natural gas storages at historical maximums at the end of February (60% vs 40% last 5-year February average). Looking ahead, we have revised prices down for 2023 (to €113/MWh average…
Spain has increased its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Moscow by 45%, according to data from the latest Enagás statistical bulletin, published by El Periódico de la Energía. According to the newspaper La Vanguardia, it all started when Algeria closed the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME), one of the two that supply Spain, after the spanish government changed its position to favour Morocco’s claims over the Sahara, in the…
A record six (mostly extraordinary) meetings were held in the end and the last one produced a white smoke: an agreement to impose a €180 cap on the price of imported gas. The new ‘gas market correction mechanism’ will operate with a double safety key. It will be triggered automatically when, for 3 consecutive days, the price on the Dutch TTF market reaches 180 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). But…
In Europe, in November, the fall in natural gas demand was 19%, much more than the 15% drop estimated by the EU. In addition, November is the first month in which we can see how the residential and commercial segment is reacting to higher energy prices. Demand from the industrial customer has already been falling for several months (-28% vs 5 year average) and has not been surprising. But the…
Pedro Sánchez, Emmanuel Macron and António Costa (who, for Portugal, has also been part of the dialogue) have decided to discard the gas pipeline that had been proposed through the Pyrenees, the MidCat. They have agreed that a new project, BarMar, will replace it. This is an underwater gas (or hydro-product) pipeline that will link Barcelona and Marseille via the Mediterranean Sea bed. This solution, however, has its cost: the…
Carlos Schwartz | Natalia Fabra is a director of Enagás and chair of the European programme “CURRENT TOOLS AND POLICY CHALLENGES IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS”. Q:There seems to be a shift in thinking about pricing mechanisms in the energy sector at the moment. A: Yes, it is part of the paradigm shift. It has been realised that, in the case of the electricity market, it is not correct to remunerate power…
Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, has lashed out harshly against the Brussels plan to force EU countries to reduce gas consumption by 15% during the autumn and winter months. According to Ribera, this plan is “neither the most effective, nor the most efficient, nor the fairest”. “We have strategic reserves. We have done our homework. We have achieved a very solid position” in terms of security of supply, said…
Juan Antonio Martínez & Leonardo Gago (ASE Group) | More liquefied natural gas (LNG) is arriving at European ports and has lowered the daily price and that of immediate short-term gas products at the Dutch TTF. For the time being, the increase in LNG imports is offsetting the strain on Russian supply. In Q1 2022, Russian exports to the EU had fallen by 35% compared to the 2016-2021 average for…