EU country doubles Russian gas imports

Spain’s purchases of the blue fuel have risen significantly this year, data shows

The volume of Russian gas bought by Spain in August soared by 102.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data published on Monday by the Spanish energy company Enagas.

The report highlighted that Madrid purchased 4,505 gigawatt hours (GWh) of gas from Moscow compared to 2,228 GWh in August 2021. Meanwhile, imports from Algeria, traditionally a major gas supplier to the country, dropped by 34.8%.

Data also showed that imports from the United States accounted for 26.5% of supplies. Russia ranked fifth among the country's main providers (11.8%), after the US, Algeria, Nigeria and France.

In total, in the first eight months of 2022, Spain purchased 32,770 GWh of gas from Russia, which is 22.88% more than in the same period of the previous year.

READ MORE: Putin tells EU energy exports aren't guaranteed

The EU countries have been boosting gas purchases lately to stockpile for the winter season. On Friday, member states failed to reach a consensus on setting a price cap on Russian gas which was aimed at calming skyrocketing energy prices across the region.

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