LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal is ready to reassess the MedCat (Midi Catalonia) gas pipeline project, Portugal’s Minister of State for European Affairs said on Wednesday, amid energy tensions linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
Thiago Antunes said he discussed the Spain-France gas pipeline project on Tuesday with his French counterpart Laurence Bonn during a meeting in Paris.
“(France) seems ready to take a fresh look at the MidCat project in order to keep an open mind and take into account the arguments put forward by Portugal, Spain and Germany,” he noted during a telephone interview with Reuters.
Emmanuel Macron expressed his strong opposition to the relaunch of the project last month, believing that it does not respond to current issues.
➦ France – Macron strongly opposes MidCat gas pipeline project
The Trans-Pyrenees gas pipeline project, launched in 2013, to connect the northern city of Barcelona with Barbaira, has begun in Aude, with the aim of distributing Algerian gas in particular.
It was suspended in 2019, as it was deemed too expensive and environmentally friendly.
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves, contributed by Graham Kelly, French version by Camille Raynaud)
