Natural gas imports in Spain 2023, by country of origin

In 2023, Spain imported over 116 terawatt-hours of natural gas from Algeria. Meanwhile, the import volume from the United States surpassed 82.8 terawatt-hours. That same year, Spain's total natural gas imports reached approximately 397 terawatt-hours.

Liquefied natural gas imports

Whereas other European Union countries – such as Germany – rely solely on pipelines for natural gas imports, Spain obtains over half of its imports in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is transported in liquid state by ships, which are known as gas carriers or tankers, and upon arrival it is transformed back into its original state in regasification plants. Spain is the country with the fourth largest regasification capacity worldwide, accounting for roughly one-third of the EU’s total.

Liquefied natural gas imports

Home to the largest storage and regasification capacity within the European Union, Spain could counteract the gas shortage triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the energy independence provided by its regasification plants, Spain’s pipeline connection with Algeria – where the Mediterranean country imports most of its natural gas from – ensures a suitable alternative to Russian gas supply. On the other hand, Spain lacks connections with the central European gas system, which leaves the country quite isolated from the rest of the continent in terms of energy.