Spain and France boost capacity of Irun gas pipeline by 66%

The Irun pipeline, which transports natural gas between Spain and France, began operating on Tuesday with 66% expanded capacity.

The 1.5 billion cubic meters expansion brings the pipeline’s capacity to 3.5 billion cubic meters. The increase represents an 18% boost in Spain’s pipeline export capacity to France and the rest of northern Europe.

The increase in capacity coincides with the beginning of the winter heating season and intends to strengthen the European gas network amid the Russian threat to cut off gas supplies.

According to Spanish transmission system operator Enagas, the expansion is part of Spain’s solidarity measures with Europe.

Spain has been relatively isolated from the rest of Europe’s natural gas infrastructure for years. As a result, the country built large numbers of liquified natural gas (LNG) plants.

Spain is home to 45% of the EU’s LNG storage capacity, according to Enagas, which could prove key as the EU weans off of Russian gas.

In the first eight months of 2022, Spain’s natural gas exports to France already increased 137% compared to the same period in 2021, according to Cores, the Spanish entity responsible for maintaining oil and gas reserves.

However, Spain’s still-limited connections to the European gas grid remain a bottleneck, limiting the transport of Spain’s abundant gas capacity to the rest of the EU.

While Spain and Portugal had been advocating to finish the construction of the MidCat pipeline, which would add a third pipeline connecting France and Spain, the project was scrapped less than two weeks ago after being met with an unenthusiastic French response.

Instead, the nations agreed to build a submarine pipeline connecting Barcelona and Marseille. According to Spain’s environment minister, the new pipeline won’t be operational for at least four or five years.

In the meantime, the increase in the Irun pipeline adds some increased energy security, and Spain will continue re-exporting LNG on tankers.

Spain has also pledged to increase infrastructure at the Barcelona port so it can export more LNG to Italy by ship.

“In order to meet the gas needs of the population and our industries over the long term, we believe it is essential to build a flexible and resilient gas network, capable of making the most of all the infrastructures present in Europe,” said Dominique Mockly, chairman and CEO of French operator Teréga in a statement on the Irun pipeline expansion.