Natural gas industry in Spain - statistics & facts
Natural gas plays an important role in Spain’s energy sector. It is the second-largest source of primary energy consumption in the country, accounting for over 20 percent. It is also one of the main sources of electricity generation. During the 2000s, natural gas consumption in Spain registered a significant increase due to the installation of combined cycle power plants across the country. From 2008 on, however, consumption declined as a result of the economic crisis. In recent years, the total consumption of natural gas in Spain has grown slightly, reaching some 33 billion cubic meters in 2022.
Natural gas is an important source of energy in Spain, which is used extensively for heating and electricity generation purposes. Although Spain has virtually no autochthonous natural gas production, its supply is highly diversified, importing natural gas via pipeline and LNG from several countries. The country is among the countries with the largest regasification capacity worldwide. With the increase of variable renewables in Spain's electricity mix, some uncertainty remains around the future of the natural gas sector. In the next few years, Spain's natural gas demand is expected to remain constant.
Domestic gas supply: production and imports
Spain has currently three active natural gas producing sites. In total, they produced roughly 540 gigawatt hours of natural gas in 2023, accounting for less than one percent of the country's consumption. Although Spain’s natural gas production is negligible, supply is highly diversified. The country receives natural gas via pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from multiple countries. In 2023, the United States was the second-leading origin for Spain’s natural gas imports, accounting for over 20 percent of imports. Algeria, which is connected to Spain by two major pipelines, was the country's largest natural gas supplier.Liquefied natural gas in Spain
In 2023, almost 70 percent of the natural gas imported by Spain was in the form of LNG. In fact, the country has the largest regasification capacity in Europe and the fourth largest worldwide. Spain is also home to seven operating regasification plants located in Barcelona, Huelva, Sagunto, Cartagena, Bilbao, Mugardos, and Gijón. The last one started operation in 2023 after remaining idle for more than 10 years. Combined, the seven regasification plants have a storage capacity of roughly 3.4 billion cubic meters.Natural gas is an important source of energy in Spain, which is used extensively for heating and electricity generation purposes. Although Spain has virtually no autochthonous natural gas production, its supply is highly diversified, importing natural gas via pipeline and LNG from several countries. The country is among the countries with the largest regasification capacity worldwide. With the increase of variable renewables in Spain's electricity mix, some uncertainty remains around the future of the natural gas sector. In the next few years, Spain's natural gas demand is expected to remain constant.
