Spain's gas network ready for faster Russian LNG ban, Enagas CEO says
Spanish gas grid operator Enagas is ready to ban Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2027 if the EU brings forward its phase-out to that date, its CEO Arturo Gonzalo said.
The EU is negotiating legal proposals to end its Russian oil and gas imports by January 2028 and sanctions that would ban Russian LNG a year earlier, as Brussels attempts to deprive the Kremlin of revenues to fund its war in Ukraine.
In an interview, Gonzalo said he believed a 2027 ban on Russian LNG was possible from an infrastructure point of view. "And I understand that it makes sense that Europe has to raise the bar of ambition of sanctions against Russia," he said. "We are technically prepared to operate without Russian gas."
Gonzalo said gas network operators already use accreditation systems to track the origin of LNG cargoes. Enagas requires shippers to report the origin of cargoes unloaded in Spain on its logistics platform, where the information is cross-checked with cargo documentation and subject to customs checks.
The latest negotiating draft of the EU's proposed Russian oil and gas phase-out would require importers to provide proof of the country of production of their gas to national authorities before it arrives in Europe. Authorities can also demand companies disclose further information on gas supply contracts.
These requirements would not apply to countries that exported more than 5 Bm3 of gas to the EU last year, meaning U.S. LNG would be exempt.
Gonzalo said the LNG market was liquid enough to replace Russian volumes. "Once the LNG from Russia stops coming, a very good part of that is going to be replaced by U.S. LNG," he said.
EU countries plan to approve the 2028 Russian oil and gas phase-out next week, before negotiating the final law with the European Parliament. Countries are negotiating the LNG sanctions separately.
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