The enthusiasm for the renewed push to finish the MidCat, the gas connection between Spain and France through Catalonia, collides with the French position. From Paris they recall the high cost of infrastructure in their territory, which will take years to build and will not solve the current price crisis and which has an environmental impact and the ecological transition that must be taken into account before making any decision.
This follows from an electronic response to the media from the Ministère de la Transition énergétique on the current position of France, similar to that of recent years. In an email a string of arguments are noted that have to be taken into account in the debate and that draw a panorama with much more suspicion. From the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition it is indicated that it is an "informal" response and that an official pronouncement is awaited.
From the outset, it is pointed out that there are already two connections through Larrau and Irun that have been fully operational since the start of the war in Ukraine and the price crisis, "which today contribute to ensuring European supplies." The MidCat project represents a "very significant investment of at least 3,000 million euros", it is pointed out, and it would take "many years to be operational".
In the French case, connections are pending from the border to Barbaira for the section known as STEP -which ends in Hostalric on the Spanish side- and other networks that would serve to connect with the rest of the continent, with study phases and pending works. "It would not respond to the current crisis," it is suggested, something for which it would be more convenient to build LNG or floating terminals -especially in Germany-, which involve less expensive and quicker investments to execute. The reduction of consumption and the development of renewables are also proposed to face the "current energy challenge".
In the background there are also economic interests, as reported by the local La Tribune. France plans to open more facilities dedicated to gas that will make it a reference for selling to northern and eastern European countries, and it would not make much sense to spend on a MidCat that would give advantages to competitors – Spain, Portugal – for the same market.
This response also recalls that the project was rejected by the competition authorities of each country due to its lack of profitability and that it has "strong local opposition" and environmental associations. "These are decisions that concern all member states and where dialogue is essential," he stresses. That European solidarity and the French climate objectives be taken into account.
Thus, from France it would be sought that the environmental factor gain weight in a decision, since in its roadmap it is to dispense with fossil fuels in 2050 and has a much lower dependence on gas, having a model based on nuclear . The answer is also emphasized in that Europe accelerates towards carbon neutrality for the same date. "The development of durable gas infrastructures requires a detailed assessment with respect to climate goals," he reads.
The possibility that the gas pipeline will serve to transport hydrogen and fit in with these objectives, as stated in the RepowerEU plan, is also not clear. "Uncertainties are very high about production and consumption capacities, and therefore, all the more so, about the need for a possible transport infrastructure on this scale before many years." In fact, it is stated that the equipment to do so, such as dedicated compressors, is not available to build a fully compliant pipeline.
In Madrid, the Ministry of Ecological Transition awaits an official response, since there have been no public pronouncements from the French Executive since Germany gave its support to the project to diversify its supply sources. "It is essential that a high-level political debate takes place, at the highest level," say sources from the ministry led by Teresa Ribera.
Bearing in mind that the MidCat project has been on the table for more than a decade and the landscape has changed, "a deep reflection on the scope of the new circumstances and how we adapt to them to help each other would be convenient," it specifies.
