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Spain boosts LNG imports to cover power demand

Low reservoir levels have cut Spain’s hydropower output, forcing it to import more LNG. And the extra demand could persist if the winter is cold Low reservoir levels have cut Spain’s hydropower output, forcing it to import more LNG. And the extra demand could persist if the winter is cold.
By Annemarie Botzki 20 October 2017 0 28054
Inside view of a storage tank at an LNG terminal. Inside an Enagas LNG storage tank in Spain. (Enagas)

Low hydroelectric output and a lack of pipeline gas from Algeria have prompted Spain to ramp up its LNG imports. And observers expect the trend to continue over the winter.

Spanish LNG demand hit 7.88 mt in H1 2017, up from 6.35 mt in H1 2016, according to Cores. Growth was stronger in Q3, with demand up 54.5% year on year, according to LNG expert Andy Flower.

Data from Cores shows LNG made up an increasing share of Spanish supply in the first half of this...