Spain, Portugal emerge as ‘energy island’ in Europe’s crisis
By JOSEPH WILSON and HERNÁN MUÑOZ
Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The energy crisis provoked by Russia’s war in Ukraine has helped Spain and Portugal emerge in an strategically advantageous position as an “energy island” in Europe with a relatively low reliance on Russian natural gas. The two countries are now poised to reap the benefits of their network of liquefied natural gas plants. They account for one-third of Europe’s LNG processing capacity. But a lack of better connections between the Iberian partners and the rest of Europe greatly limits how much natural gas can be sent further east to other nations that are heavily reliant on Russian gas imports.
