Algeria's threat on gas supply to Spain is a bluff aimed at domestic consumption

The Algerian Government, through various spokesmen, has declared that under no circumstances will it allow Spain to export 'Algerian gas' to Morocco by using in reverse the Maghreb/Europe pipeline closed by Algeria at the end of its activity contract last autumn, in retaliation against its neighbour Morocco.

According to verifications carried out by ATALAYAR, once the gas has been imported and introduced into the system of networks and tanks in Spain, it is impossible to say which is 'Algerian gas' and which is not. Spain imports this fuel from 14 countries, directly in the form of natural gas by pipeline as in the case of Algeria, or in the form of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) which arrives via tankers. The most important supplier countries are, in addition to Algeria, the United States, Nigeria, Russia, France, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, Guinea and Norway. LNG is processed into natural gas at six regasification plants located in different Spanish ports. When the imported gas is introduced into the Spanish grid, the fluid becomes a ghost, impossible to differentiate from the rest.

Before the outbreak of the trilateral crisis between Spain, Morocco and Algeria, the Spanish gas system had 11,369 km of primary transport pipelines and 13,361 km of network, including secondary ones, according to ENAGAS sources. These infrastructures are interconnected, which guarantees security of supply and the ability to cope with import fluctuations. Also, until the eve of the crisis, Spain brought in liquefied gas for a total of 63% of imports, compared to 37% of natural gas via pipeline. With the crisis, this situation has changed and the main supplier is now the United States with 35% of the total, far surpassing Algeria, which remains at 25%. This trend continues to grow.

The operation of gas networks and deposits in Spain is a secret of a strategic nature. In addition to the aforementioned networks, with their adjacent deposits, the system has underground gas storage facilities. According to the company ENAGAS, "in order to adjust supply to demand and to cope with consumption peaks caused by seasonal variations, among other scenarios, it is necessary to store large quantities of gas in strategic locations that have been set up for this purpose". These are storage facilities located underground, taking advantage of old deposits, or deep aquifers or cavities generated in saline formations. ENAGAS directly manages three underground storage facilities: Serrablo in Huesca, Gaviota on the coast of Bizkaia and Yela in Guadalajara.  It is also believed that for reasons of national security, the State has other secret storage facilities connected to the network that can be used in the event of a crisis.

The gas that arrives in Spain, whether by pipeline or in liquefied form, is not an agricultural product that you can label, package and store knowing where it comes from; nor does it have a bar code to trace its origin. Declaring that "we will not allow Spain to export Algerian gas to Morocco" is simply a bluff, aimed at calming the internal crisis in Algeria, which has increased with Spain's decision to become a major player in the search for a definitive solution to the Western Sahara crisis, considering Morocco's proposal for the territory's autonomy as the "only possible and realistic way forward". A sector of Algerian power sees this decision as very negative and dangerous for its interests, and is pulling strings to increase bilateral pressure by encouraging chimerical threats to justify its bellicose positions in the region. So much so that the Algerian president himself, head of state and of the armed forces, had to declare days ago that "the gas supply to Spain is guaranteed" and is independent of the current bilateral crisis.