Improves security of supply
The MEDGAZ project, which links Algeria’s gas fields directly to the Spanish gas grid, makes a decisive contribution towards ensuring stable, secure and high-quality energy supplies to the European market.
Currently, natural gas can be supplied in two ways:
- In the form of natural gas (NG), through gas pipelines, as is the case of MEDGAZ.
- In the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is transported by ship from its place of origin to re-gasification plants in the country of destination where it is transformed back into a gaseous state.
In situations of peak demand, usually in the winter, some ports of origin and destination are closed due to adverse weather conditions, which may hinder LNG deliveries.
To avoid relying too heavily on either source, maintain a balance between NG/LNG is recommended. The NG entrance channel provided by the MEDGAZ project contibutes to maintaining this equilibrium.
Following the closure at the end of October 2021 of the Maghreb Gas Pipeline (GME) connecting Algeria with Spain and Morocco, MEDGAZ‘s role as a strategic infrastructure for the supply of gas to the Spanish market has been reinforced. In 2023 MEDGAZ accounted for 24% of the total volume of gas imported by Spain, compared to 16% in 2020, the last full year of operation of the GME.
