Spain’s natural gas consumption has dropped as much as 19% since August: Minister

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain’s energy minister said on Friday that the country has reduced its natural gas consumption by 15 to 19% since enacting energy savings measures in August.

According to Teresa Ribera, Spain’s electricity consumption also dropped 5.7% between August and November, compared to the five-year average for the same months.

She said that Spain has implemented 30 energy savings measures so far, including turning off lights earlier in public buildings and limiting the use of heating and air conditioning, but 11 more measures will be implemented in the coming weeks.

Spain has also seen an unseasonably warm autumn, including the hottest October on record, so most consumers have not needed to turn on the heat.

Ribera also said that the Iberian mechanism cap on the price of gas has brought down natural gas wholesale prices by 57% from August to November.

With Spain’s underground natural gas reserves 95% full and LNG reserves filled to 87% of capacity, she said Spanish consumers should be “calm” heading into the winter.

On the other hand, she warned that neighboring Portugal and France are in “extraordinarily sensitive” situations going into the colder months.

In France, because of problems with nuclear production. In Portugal, the ongoing drought has deeply affected hydroelectricity production.

Those two nations could see “moments of tension,” said Ribera, adding that Spain will help guarantee their energy security through increased exports.

Spain is home to around 45% of the EU’s liquified natural gas (LNG) storage capacity, according to energy company Enagas, and has already boosted energy exports to both countries this year.