The recent energy crisis due to sanctions on Russia has highlighted Spain’s hypocritical stance on energy procurement. While the rest of the world, including EU member states, were facing an energy crisis due to sanctions on Russia, Spain remained conspicuously silent. However, the truth has now been revealed, exposing Spain’s hypocritical side. It has come to light that the EU’s stance on energy relations with Russia is a farce. Spain is heavily dependent on liquefied natural gas imports from Moscow.
EU’s double standard revealed
Once again, the European Union’s preaching to the world about the use of Russian energy during the war has proven to be insincere. While the EU is busy condemning Russian allies, Spain, an EU member state, is secretly amassing large amounts of liquefied natural gas from Moscow. What’s even more shocking is the sheer quantity of energy that Spain is importing.
According to data from Spain’s largest energy company Enagas, Madrid’s LNG imports from Russia surged by more than double in February 2023 compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, Spain’s purchases rose by 151.4% to 5.46 terawatt-hours (TWH) in February 2023 from 2.17 TWH in February 2022. Additionally, natural gas imports from Russia in Spain increased to 19,631 Terajoules in December 2022 from 18,011 Terajoules in November of the same year.\
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Despite being the largest LNG exporter to Spain with roughly 7.2 TWH of total imports in February, Enagas’ data suggests that U.S. LNG supplies to Madrid have significantly dropped from an average of 12.4 TWH delivered per month last year.
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Enagas had previously reported a 45 % increase in Spain’s imports of Russian LNG compared to the previous year. However, other EU countries have remained silent on the issue, highlighting the West’s shifting stance. Despite being considered a major power within the European Union, Spain has long relied on energy supplies from Russia. This raises questions about the EU’s preaching to the world about the use of Russian energy during the war, which has proven to be insincere.
Considering the scenario, Spain’s coverup of its energy procurement has been exposed, revealing its hypocritical stance on energy relations with Russia. Moving forward, it remains to be seen whether Spain and other EU member states will take steps to reduce their dependence on Russian energy in the future.
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